


The Legend of Ash Ketchum (Part 1: Kalos Arc)

by XXLXXL_009



Series: The Legend of Ash Ketchum [1]
Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Anime), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, F/M, Multi, Romance, Talking Pokemon
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-17
Updated: 2020-04-10
Packaged: 2021-02-27 03:21:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 14
Words: 100,264
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22290241
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/XXLXXL_009/pseuds/XXLXXL_009
Summary: Following his Battle Frontier victory, Ash Ketchum was on his way of becoming the best Pokemon Master the world has ever seen. But, what happens if fate decides to impede on his goals? Can the Chosen One fulfill his Dreams, Destiny, and Desires? Or would he surrender to the vagaries of the Spirits? [Amourshipping] [Limited Roster]
Relationships: Satoshi | Ash Ketchum/Serena
Series: The Legend of Ash Ketchum [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1604620
Comments: 35
Kudos: 62





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> There are some things you should know before you start reading (No Spoilers).  
> It'll save you time in deciding if you'd like this fic, although I'd suggest you read the first 4 chapters before deciding if you'll like this or not.
> 
> 1\. Firstly, this is not a fic for every reader. It's a long one and on fanfiction, first 6 chapters are 85k words, but here I'll break it into shorter chapters though. Only the Prologue will be about 10k. Sorry!  
> So, reminder again, this is a long fic I planned of 3 different arcs.  
> Why such length you ask? Simple, I'm trying to learn everything about creative writing, what better way than write a long story (I don't need to brain storm different stories and characters), and I can use every technique I learn along the way here.  
> My aim is that every chapter of mine should be better than the previous one. 
> 
> 2\. Let's get this out of the way: Aura Ash, smart and mature Ash, AU.
> 
> 3\. Yes, this is a 'journey fic,' but with many other components too. To put it in perspective, journey part is about 20-30% of the fic, the first arc mainly, but the fluff will be limited as much as possible. I can give you my word on that, there will an occasional fluff, but that's to slow down the pace when too many conflicts arise. 
> 
> 4\. The real story starts with the characters at eighteen-years, since I cannot give them ten-year-old's personality, most of them will be OOC (Out of Character), but I tried not to eliminate their uniqueness personalities, especially Ash. I'll try not to mess with Serena as well, but given my character sheet, that's not possible. But you'll like her, trust me. She's quirky.
> 
> 5\. Story starts after Ash's Battle Frontier Victory and I've limited his Pokémon Roster. (He used his previously caught Pokémon in both Johto and Hoenn leagues). This is so that I can work on lesser cast and develop them well. Read to find out what all Pokémon I've eliminated.
> 
> 6\. This fic is a semi-crossover with many other elements outside Pokémon world. Don't worry, I haven't ruined Pokémon for you since every external element has been modified to fit the Poké world. I hope you like what I did.
> 
> 7\. Ash is not OP. Trust me, you'll find out soon.
> 
> 8\. I've made dozens of changes (exploiting the 'alternate universe' tag will full liberty) to make this story as unique as I could from other stories. I've taken references from anime, movies, novels, songs, etc. Simply put: A hell lot of Easter Candies are waiting to be discovered.
> 
> 9\. Amourshipping: No disloyalty. No love triangles. (It's a light spoiler, but it's better than finding out later and hating this fic).
> 
> 10\. M-Rating for: Deaths, graphic violence, adult language, sexual content, dark themes etc. (No erotica).
> 
> 11\. Main Genres: Action, Adventure, Fantasy, and Romance.
> 
> 12\. I tried to get everything right, but I'm aware that absolute perfection is a myth and they'll still be thousands of errors. I'm trying to learn to write and as a non-native English speaker, I tried as much as I could, and I believe I did improve, but still it'll be a little jarring to read since I could not nail tight prose, pacing, and drama properly. I'm trying to learn those too, but unlike other dynamics, these three are the toughest. Some places maybe cringy, but I hope you'll bear with me at least for a few chapters.
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon.

Darkness, Despair, and Death. That was the sight before Ash Ketchum as he sluggishly opened his eyes. His bare soles blazed from the coarse sand’s heat. The thin dry air around him choked his throat, burning his lungs with every breath he took. But all that was nothing compared to the slew of abomination in front of him. The cerulean sky had lost its athletic glamor and transformed into a bloody cloak of dark raging flames. In place of the ever-luminous sun was a gloomy orb gradually expanding and engulfing all the light in the world. In the few seconds Ash stood there, he could vividly differentiate the increase in darkness. Dense misty dust circulated horizontally over the ground, covering the earth in its thicket. It was so opaque that Ash couldn’t even see his feet.

Baffled at this unfamiliar atmosphere, he took a step ahead, hoping to scout the area.

“Arghhh!” a sharp needle-like pain shot threw his leg. He jerked, slipped, and landed on a sharp rock which pierced into his spine. “Aaaarrrggaaaaahhhhh!” he arched his back and hollered like he was being amputated without an anesthetic.

With gritted teeth, he wrestled the pain. He wrapped his arms around him, and rolled on the burning sand. He cried in agony as more angular rocks tore through his shirt and bore into his flesh. This was the most pain his body had ever experienced, yet there was something which told him—this was just the beginning.

Just then, the sand cloud around him began to revolve, enveloping him within a furious dust storm—his vision decayed. He shut his eyes, protecting them from the storm’s grainy onslaught, but the assault was redirected to the scars on his face—scars he knew not how he got.

Groaning from the blazing scars, he covered his face with his forearms and aimlessly brawled against the adamantine currents. _I must find a way out._

Ash tried to move in a uniform direction, but with every step he took, he was either pushed back a ten, or lifted off the ground and propelled in disdain, like he was one of those unwanted ingredients in a scrumptious meal.

To further his obstacles, a slurry of rocks and pebbles pelted him in the face, his gut, and every part of his body. There was no escape, he was stuck in the most optimum line of fire, a perpetual trap of victimization—the harder he tried to escape, the harder he was put down.

“Darn it!” Ash groaned. If there was one-way he dealt with hinderances, it was to face them head on. With a strained breath, he forced himself forward. Pangs spiked through his body. _Don’t you give up!_

He fought through the aches and burns crippling his spirit, and the vicious storm relentless in its massacre. He kicked his ground and ran. He ran till his muscles burned and his veins pumped battery acid. He ran like he was being chased by a frenzy heard of carnivorous Pokémon. Then he ran some more—gradually circumventing his way through the storm, reaching a still place with no activity.

Staggering, he dropped to his knees, exasperating. Hot air rushed into his mouth, scorching his cracked lips, and baking his dry tongue. He gaged—the air tasted foul. Rotten even—as if it was encapsulated in a container filled with mold and feces for a year and then released into the atmosphere.

He vomited instantly.

Vertigo struck him, spinning his head like he just got down from a daunting roller-coaster ride. His raw scars blazed from the saline sweat dripping from his brow. Every cell inside him groveled and begged to give up and die. There was no way he could keep up. Even his spirit was burning its last flame.

_Not yet. Can’t give up yet._

He spat the ugly taste lingering in his mouth. He wiped his mouth with his sleeve. He blanched in fear.

Redness covered his fingers, its streaks meandering like an overflowing river into his sleeve. He checked his other hand—it was the same. He panicked and inspected himself. Blood stains tarnished his whole outfit—deep red blood, fresh and thick. _Where did this come from?_

He peeked around. There weren’t any tall trees and bushes like in a forest, nor any pompous buildings and roads like in a city; it was a desert—an unconditionally desolated reddish terrain. Apart from the roaring sounds of winds, he couldn’t register a whisper of life.

He dug his fingers into the sand, and shut his eyes, trying to recollect his journey here. Only blackness filled his vision. He tried harder. One hit, that’s all. One hint was all he needed, but he got nothing.

A breeze swept against him, opening his eyes as its graze brought Ash his much-needed clue. He plucked the furs stuck to his forehead. It was red—blood again. He peered closer—it was yellow dipped in red.

His eyes shot up. “Pikachu.” His heart pounded against his ribs, painting his insides with trepidation.

He balled the fur in his fists. “No! No! No! No! No! No—”

The ground trembled, piquing up Ash’s fears. He tried to flee, but his legs gave out, cementing their position. The land under him rose, thrusting him upwards. Ash fought his urge to jump off, for the elevation could be of assistance, and probably quench his fears and doubts.

He held his ground, waiting for the uprising to stop. It did when he reached about twenty feet off the ground. He gingerly stood on his feet, careful not to fall or burden his throbbing aches.

At the sight of the entire landscape, Ash froze—a blast of unprecedented horror smacked him in the face. Leaving a few yards of radius around him, the rest of the land was painted in carmine. Beheaded corpses with one limb, two limbs, and no limbs were stacked one over the other like massive pyramids. The separated heads with ghastly expressions were congregated into larges piles between the torso stacks. The arrangement was so horrifyingly meticulous that it seemed like an act by a barbarous executioner. Hurricanes danced across the area, collecting and brandishing the lifeless remnants like fingers, toes, organs, and blood splattered brains in their vortexes.

Realization dawned upon him—he was the only thing alive.

Ash’s heart pounded twice its rate, the thinness of the air suffocating his breath. Something which he called his conscious blamed him for the carnage. He remembered nothing from before, but somehow, he knew he was responsible.

His fingers twitched, blood dripping in drops from it. He shuddered in helplessness. For the first time, Ash’s pain faded, making way for an agonizing fear, sensing it like never.

“You have failed, Oh, Chosen One,” mocked a vicious voice, shattering his last ounce of hope.

His vision blurred. His insides felt cold.

He collapsed.

“Huh!” Ash gasped as he shot up from his bed, sweat dripping all over his face and bare body. His bloodshot eyes pulsated between amber brown and azure blue for a split second.

He quickly patted his face, checking for scars—they weren’t there. His body felt numb—painless. He was in his bed and what he saw was a mere dream. The most bizarre dream he had ever had, yet, it felt so real. So real that the appalling anxiety still circulated in his veins. He glanced his palms—his fingers were still twitching.

Was it the future that he saw? Or was it just an absurd dream? Whose voice was that? Questions accelerated through his mind.

He treaded a hand through his thick raven hair, moist in perspiration and took a deep breath of relief, chucking his thoughts to ponder on a later date.

He massaged his eyes, then stole a quick glance at the alarm clock on his side table—it was nearly noon, too late for his hyperactive blood, however he could afford such a luxury. He wasn’t on road but home. He had been, for a few weeks now. Following his historic victory at the _Kanto Battle Frontier_ , his mother, Delia Ketchum, advised or rather commanded him to take a break from his never-ending travels, and for once, stay home—that was what he was doing.

He briskly flicked his window drapes, letting in the sun’s divine rays, illuminating his room with virgin light. He pushed his duvet aside and got down his bed. His bare soles touched the cold marble floor, sending shivers up his spine. He flitted near the door and slipped on his flip-flops, which he usually left there on his mom's order.

He turned back, stretched his arms, and yawned, assassinating his leftover sleep with a single breath. He searched around for his lifetime partner and his best friend, the yellow mouse, Pikachu, who seemed to be nowhere. _Must have gone down for breakfast_.

His groggy eyes fell on an old photograph of his deceased father, Red Ketchum, placed in the corner of his study table. His sight immediately shifted to a worn-out hat, mounted in a glass display beside the photograph—the last remains of his father, Ash’s only token of his remembrance.

He smiled weakly, walking back into that bitter-fresh memory lane.

About nine years ago, when Ash was about six, a disastrous accident which took lives of several eminent Pokémon Trainers was reported from an unknown location in the Sinnoh Region. Ash’s dad was one of those many trainers caught up in that calamity. Ash was never known to make many friends; his only being his dad and the neighborhood Pokémon. So, when the dreadful news reached him, his whole world had tumbled down—he had changed. He stopped socializing with anyone and everyone, holding himself back from making any new friends or interacting with the few he had—he embraced solitude. He never thought he’d be normal again. If not for that one summer camp years ago, he’d still be the same reclusive individual.

He chuckled warmly. Even the darkest clouds came with a silver lining, in his case it was—

 _Brrrrr._ His stomach rumbled, a mild tornado whirling in it. He placed his palm on his belly and tapped it. “Guess I am hungry too.”

He picked up the t-shirt lying on the floor, thankful that his mom hasn’t seen it, and slipped it on. He unlocked the door and sauntered downstairs.

Ash navigated his way through the space in the living room, weaving around the two adjacent rooms and past the lavish kitchen with a brisk pace. The three-bedroom house was as spacious as the mother-son combo could have wanted. The entryway led straight to the living room which had a cozy couch and a gigantic wall-mounted television, opposite to which is the stairway to Ash’s room bordering the two adjacent rooms on the ground floor, one: the master bedroom for his mom and the other was a guest room for any unexpected overnight staying visitors. Further ahead through the living room, on its side was the kitchen which probably occupied the largest area of the house with its glut of appliances and ingredients for his mother to experiment her recipes. To the farthest corner, away from the kitchen and the living room was the dining area which was concealed by the juxtaposition of the bedrooms and the kitchen. All the interior walls were white and adorned framed images of family portraits, Ash’s childhood memories, his parents’ teenage photos, and others. Ash’s mom made it her daily routine to clean every photograph without fail. To her, they weren’t just framed images, but magic—magic which captured the most blissful of memories. There were times when Ash caught his mom staring and reveling at them. While he didn’t hold such sentiments, there were a few pictures which sometimes stationed him with their time-machine-like illusion.

As Ash entered the dining area, from the corner of his eye, he saw Pikachu sitting on the of the dining table, nibbling on a large rice ball with a blasphemous amount of ketchup over it. He sighed. If only Pikachu maintained a healthier diet, but that was highly unlikely.

“ **Morning, Ash,”** Pikachu said, raising his red condiment coated petite paw up.

“Morning, buddy.”

As far back as Ash could remember, he always understood Pokémon speech. To him, it sounded just like how humans talk. He was about four when his unique ability became a household dinner conversation in his neighborhood. Many considered him a young genius while many had their apprehensions (which was an important reason for his inability to make human friends). It was then, the four-year-old Ash learned an important life lesson which he still held close to his heart, a byproduct of a reality called the societal norm—people fear what they don’t understand. When you aren’t what you’re expected to be, the society either puts you on a pedestal of adulation or banishes you as an outcast—he experienced both. But no matter how big a splash you make in this world, whether you’re a teenage pop star, a national hero, a world leader in peace, the only zillionaire in the world, or even a human who can understand Pokémon; eventually: nobody—gives—a—shit.

It wasn’t until recently that Ash uncovered the mystery behind his ability. A couple of months ago, he visited the Rota Kingdom where he teamed up with Sir Aaron’s resurrected Lucario to rescue Pikachu from the Tree of Beginning. During their brief encounter, Lucario shed some light on his skill. He told him that could manipulate aura like the Aura Guardians in fairy tales, (turns out they were real) and understanding Pokémon was just one of the many other skills aura users possessed.

As Ash approached the dining table, the contents on it came in his view. His eyes lit up and a wide grin spread across his face. The table was filled with all sorts of food his taste buds craved. In the centre was a large bowl of rice balls with a generous amount of black sesame seeds sprinkled over each ball, two aromatic curries whose fragrance could be followed all the way outside, a bowl of clear soup with vegetables floating in it, three stacks of fluffy pancakes towering over all of them, and a large jug of freshly extracted orange juice. His mom surely knew how to revitalize his spirits.

Ash scuttled to the table, pulled up a chair, and ogled at the delicious brunch. He set his aim on the rice ball in the third-row corner. It had the perfect balance of sesame seeds to rice. His hand involuntarily leapt onto it.

“Ouch!” A strict slap met his wrist midway.

“Fresh up. Now!” said a voice. It had a gentle overtone, but an authoritative undertone.

He heard Pikachu’s muffled laughter. That _fuzzball_ must have anticipated this. He hoisted his head and grinned sheepishly. “Yes, mom.”

He got up and spun on his heel, following his mom’s index finger pointing towards the bathroom.

* * *

A while later, Ash was gobbling down his sixth pancake. His mother was out grocery shopping with her maid Pokémon, Mr. Mime. He was alone with Pikachu who was still undone with his breakfast.

 **“When is our next journey, Ash?”** Pikachu said, picking another rice ball from the almost empty bowl. He squeezed the last bit of ketchup from the bottle on it. **“It’s been weeks, I can’t wait for some action.”**

“I ‘av-ent de-chi-ded,” Ash said with a stuffed mouth. He gulped down the meal with a satisfied smile. “I promised mom I would stay home, besides Professor Oak hasn’t informed me anything yet. Why are you complaining anyway? Aren’t you having fun watching mom’s movie collection?”

 **“That is my hobby, this is passion!”** Pikachu stood tall on the table, striking the pose of a torchbearer. He slouched his head and ears, **“I haven’t had a decent battle in weeks.”** He dropped dead on the table. **“My body is getting weak.”** He crawled towards Ash. **“I need more battles.”** He climbed onto him, clawing his paws into Ash’s jacket. **“Battles. Battles. Battles—”**

“Alright!” Ash rose from his seat with Pikachu clung to his collar. “I’ll talk to Professor Oak today, happy?”

 **“My human!”** Pikachu nuzzled his cheeks against Ash’s, the affectionate gesture he displays when overly elated.

“He-he-he! All right, all right, stop! That tickles, he-he-he—”

The videophone rang.

Ash’s attention shifted. “Hold on, buddy,” he placed Pikachu on the table. “I’ll be right back.”

He paced towards the phone, to the living room where the phone is kept. Nobody usually called home during this time of the day unless it was an emergency, and given that his mom and Mr. Mime were out, a certain scare ran through him.

He picked up the receiver and an image popped on the screen. It was a honey-blonde girl with a radiant and lively beam, Serena Yvonne, his childhood from Kalos Region. He instantly grinned. He hadn't talked to her in a while.

“Hey, Ash,” Serena said with an overly excited smile.

“Hello, Serena.”

After the demise of Ash’s father and a few months into his isolation, his mom thought it’d be better if Ash he took part in a summer camp organized by the regional professor. Naturally, Ash was reluctant, he had lost his best friend (his father), a stroke which he thought he’d never recover from; and an activity like a camp with numerous kids to pester him was the last thing he needed, therefore his mom sent him there.

He hated the first two days. Every kid in that camp thought of himself as a Pokémon Master, and every self-proclaimed Pokémon Master needed an assistant to bully, and Ash was the easiest victim they found. Things went just as he imagined them to go, and the six-year-old Ash Ketchum waited for the day the camp ended so he could go home and throw a tantrum before his mom for sending him there. But then, he met Serena. He had no friends and neither did she; she needed one and so did he. They gelled in no time and Ash knew at once that for the first time, he had forged true friendship—a bond which was as real and sincere as the dipping sun itself. No matter how many nights come by, the promise of tomorrow’s day was always there, just like they both were there for each other.

During the few months Ash and Serena spent together, they were practically inseparable, so much so that Serena ended up prolonging her weeks trip to months. And when it was time for her return, Ash had made her a promise that one day, they would both go on a journey.

Over the years their friendship could only grow stronger and Serena even managed to attend the next few summer camps to spend time with Ash.

And finally, it was time for Ash to begin walking towards his dream and start with his journey. He even convinced his mom to let him begin in Kalos region (only he knows how difficult was that battle), but unfortunately Serena bailed. She wanted to complete her schooling and graduate before she could start her journey and unlike her, studies and Ash never met eyes. Since that day, both teenagers eagerly awaited only for one thing—the day Serena graduated, and Ash had a decent idea that it was going to be sometime soon.

“—Remember how we drenched Gary in that pool? Ha-ha-ha,” Ash laughed. “He had it coming. There wasn’t a day he didn’t get on my nerves.”

“He isn’t the only one to blame, stupid. You wanted to win against him so badly that you gave him all the reason to pick on you.” Serena wiggled her finger. “You’re no saint, y’know?”

Ash grinned embarrassedly. “Yeah, maybe you are right.”

“How’s he been anyway?”

“Who? Gary? No idea, haven’t seen him in ages. I probably will give him a call one of these days,” Ash said. “What about you? I’m sure you haven’t called me to talk about Gary.”

“Mm-hmm,” she nodded. A wide grin adorned her face. “Guess what? I’m graduating in two weeks.” Her voice had this jumpy pitch which Ash thought was the perkiest thing he ever saw.

“That’s awesome! Congrats, Serena. I know you’ll be the best graduate. I just know it.”

“He-he, thanks, Ash, but you know what that means, right?”

“Of course. Our promise.”

The blood vessels in Serena’s face seemed to have popped. She flushed like a cherry orchard before harvest. “Yes. I’ve been waiting so long.”

“I’ll talk to mom today,” Ash pumped his fist. “We’ll be the best journeyers the world has ever seen.”

“He-he. Sure, Ash.”

“Alright then, I’ll have to tell Pikachu and the others. I’ll get back to you soon. Bye, Serena.”

“Sure. Bye, Ash.”

Ash took a deep breath. His grin widened and his fists clenched. He will be competing in a league again. The last was Hoenn where he could only reach to top eight spot, but this time the tables will turn. He’ll go all the way. The Battle Frontier was a good experience and his Pokémon are stronger than ever. Yes, no one can stop him from winning the league. “Kalos, here I come.”

Pikachu and his Pokémon would be elated on hearing this news. He walked back to give the mouse the news as his head flipped through various imaginations of the tough battles ahead, the new Pokémon he’d meet, and of course the time he’ll get to spend with Serena.

As Ash stepped into the dining room, his eyed widened in horror. Red spots stained the entire beige carpet his mom dearly loved. On one end was a cap-less ketchup bottle and the other was Pikachu hastily licking the spilled ketchup. It didn’t take a genius to put two and two together.

“Pikachu!” Ash yelled.

Pikachu flinched and stood on his paws, smirking evilly. **“Bite me.”** He leaped over Ash and sprinted out.

Ash nearly chased the troublemaker, but he looked back at the mess his Pokémon created. He sighed. He’d better clean up before his mom got home, he can deal with the mouse later. With that decided, he went to the kitchen to get a damp cloth.

* * *

Professor Samuel Oak, the Kanto region’s esteemed Regional Professor leaned his face closer into his computer screen in his cubicle. His old age was taking its toll on his eyesight and despite several protests by his grandchildren, he refused to wear spectacles, for he thought they made him look older than already he was.

“Hmm.” He paused, examining the raw data on the screen.

He scribbled a few analytics on his notepad and placed it on one side of his desk. He rummaged through the tall stack of files on the other side, but he couldn’t seem to find what he was looking for.

“You have the file from the Professor Birch, Daisy?”

“Yes, right here.” Daisy pulled out a blue file from her drawer. She got up from her desk and handed the file. “Here you go, grandpa.”

“Thanks.” Professor Oak quickly flipped through the pages and immersed himself back into his research.

Daisy pulled up a chair beside him. She rested her chin on her arm, supported by her lap, and quietly peeped into his work. “I don’t get it. Professor Birch is an expert at his work, yet he never publishes anything without running it by you. What is it with you two?”

“Ha-ha-ha. You should ask him that yourself. You are going for the conference, aren’t you?” Oak said with his eyes glued to his computer.

“I don’t know, grandpa. There is a lot of work pending and I can’t leave you in this mess alone.”

“I won’t be alone. I’ll have Gary with me.”

“Humph,” Daisy rolled her eyes. “That moron will only give you a headache.”

Oak spun his rotating chair toward his granddaughter. “Now, now, that is not how you talk about your brother. He isn’t half as bad as you make it sound.”

“Yes, he’s not bad, he’s worse than bad. I remember the last time I left him with you: he dumped our entire food supply and told the Pokémon to eat when they wanted. Almost every Pokémon fell sick for the rest of the week.”

“Come on, don’t be too hard on him, that was after all one incident.”

“You want more?” Daisy raised a skeptical eyebrow. “The time where he held a house party in the lab. How about the time he released the starter Pokémon into the wild, just hours before the trainers came? I could go on and on, you know?” she released her breath. “It won’t be long before he gets hookers in here and turn this lab into a strip-club,” she grumbled with pursed lips.

“Ha-ha-ha. You sure have strong feelings towards your brother.”

“Strong is a weak word here.”

“Your resentment is justifiable, but you can harbor it forever. He is your younger brother after all. He grew up in your hands.”

“Huh, I don’t hate him per say. I know he is a smart kid, smarter than me by a long shot. He is brilliant at both research and battles, and that’s a rare talent. But his attitude, _grraahhh!_ I wish he was little more responsible. The way he is going, I’m scared he’ll do something that he’ll regret one day.”

“Daisy, mistakes are a flavor of life and Gary is at an age where he is supposed to make them and learn from them. You, me, or nobody has the right to take away that from him. Your parents would’ve said the same, were they alive.”

“How would you know?”

Oak smiled. “I said the same to your mom and dad when you were of your his age.”

Daisy pursed her lips. “You have an answer to everything, don’t you?”

The doorbell rang.

“Ha-ha-ha. Go, check who’s at the door,” Professor Oak said.

“I will,” Daisy stood. “But we still haven’t finished our conversation.” She walked off through the narrow passage.

Oak spun on his chair and took a brief look at his surroundings; the lab was chaotic to be modest. On either side of the walkway were hundreds of dusty files stowed, or rather cramped to make room for walking space, a constant reminder to the hordes of pending work. It was so tight that it was impossible to move without stepping on the loosely scattered papers which were so overpowering that they camouflaged the exotic floor design. The air was gray with the musty biblichor of the aged paper. It was a smell he grew quite accustomed to. Towards the side of Daisy’s desk were dozens of cable wires jumbled up into a large ball.

Oak sighed. “Something needs to be done.”

He heard a muffled commotion at the door. “Who is it, Daisy?”

“Ash, grandpa.”

Ash and Pikachu followed Daisy into the lab. Daisy strayed to her desk, leaving the trainer-Pokémon to Professor Oak.

“Ash, my boy,” the professor stood with a smile. “How have you been?”

“Great, Professor,” Ash said. He raised his shoulder holding Pikachu. “Pikachu’s doing great as well.”

“Pika!” the mouse flashed a peace sign.

“Ha-ha-ha, that’s good to hear.” Oak stroked Pikachu’s stiff ear. “So, tell me, Ash, to what do I owe this pleasure?”

“I need a favor, professor. I need details on Kalos region.”

“I’m guessing this has something to do with your next journey?”

“Yes,” Ash said. “Pikachu and I will now win the Kalos League.”

“I wish you the best of luck, Ash. Why don’t you wait here while I go make a few phone calls?”

“Sure.”

Oak ventured into the backside of the lab where the real equipment was stored. He made a phone call to the Kalos Region and waited for an incoming fax. He plucked the paper from the fax machine and folded into to make it appear like a brochure. He eased his way back to his workspace, and gave it to Ash. “Here, my boy. All the details are in this.”

The registrations were to start in a week and would remain open for the next six months. The procedure was simple and nothing different from other regions, therefore Ash didn’t have many queries on it.

“Thanks a lot, professor. I’ll let you know when I plan to leave,” Ash said. Pikachu nudged him. “Err, sorry, Professor, but I gotta go now. Need to inform my team about this.”

“Ha-ha-ha, sure, Ash. You can come by anytime. You’re Pokémon are all in the ranch.”

“Thanks. Bye, Professor.” Ash dashed out with Pikachu rocking on his shoulder.

“Phew.” A sigh escaped Oak as he took his seat. “Kids these days, they’ve got so much untapped energy in them.” He slid his chair closer to his computer and went back into his research.

“Erm, grandpa?” Daisy called. “You didn’t tell him Gary returned.”

“Oh,” Oak stroked his chin. “Guess he’ll just have to find out then.”

* * *

“Any luck?” Ash asked Pikachu who sniffing the earth in an attempt to track his Bulbasaur. The ranch was so stocked with Pokémon that sometimes finding his own was a tedious task. Trainers from all over the region who received a started from Professor Oak usually left their off-hand Pokémon here, though the Professor charged a meagre maintenance fee for their upkeep, it wasn’t anything that a decent trainer couldn’t afford. As a result, Prof. Oak’s ranch an amalgam of all regions, a seemingly independent territory bearing Pokémon of all regions.

 **“I’m getting warmer,”** Pikachu said sniffing the earth for any tracks of the seed Pokémon.

“Bulbasaur!” Ash hollered. While Pikachu was a good tracker, Ash had his own primitive way of finding his Pokémon.

 **“Bingo!”** Pikachu hoisted his head. **“Follow me.”** He sprinted in the direction of the pond.

Few minutes later, following Pikachu’s directions, Ash reached the small pond he spent time as a kid.

 **“Look,”** Pikachu gestured to the other side of the pond.

Two Pokémon, a Weepinbell and a Poliwhirl were butting heads, having an intense argument and between them was Ash’s faithful peacekeeper, Bulbasaur, using his vines to keep the two parties at bay. Professor Oak once told him that if not for Bulbasaur’s presence, the ranch would’ve been destroyed long ago. Bulbasaur’s arrival had cut down the professor’s work by a huge load. The professor trusted his grass type to such extent that he sometimes left him in charge of the whole ranch.

If leadership was a series of selfless gestures then there was something gorgeous about him, some altruistic character to the hurdles of life, like he was related to one of those sacrificing candles which burn themselves to provide others light. He ruled like an emperor, commanded like a general, and served like a slave. And despite his merger physique, there wasn’t one Pokémon who disrespected him, not even the giant ones.

Ash waited for grass type to finish his adjudication. By the time Bulbasaur was done, both adversaries had ended their altercation and made peace.

“Hey, Bulbasaur,” Ash yelled and it didn’t take long to gain the plant dinosaur’s attention.

Bulbasaur weaved around the pond, leaping over the small bushes, and darted towards Ash. **“It’s been a while,”** he said, nuzzling his head against Ash’s leg.

Ash lowered himself to Bulbasaur’s level and pet his head. “Ha-ha, I’ve been here just a few days ago, Bulbasaur, but it’s still good to see you again.”

**“Yeah, I missed you.”**

“I missed you too. I see you’ve gotten better at your job.”

**“You saw that?”**

“You bet I did. You were awesome out there.”

A few shuffling footsteps from behind caught Ash’s attention. “Excuse me, kid, have you seen a loser nearby. He’s been trying to avoid me for a while now,” said the cockiest voice Ash had ever heard. It lit a wide smile on his face.

“Yes, I did,” Ash said. He stood up, facing the intruder. He had spiky auburn hair, a tan messenger bag around his shoulders, and a thick journal in his hand. “I’m looking right at him.”

“If being an asshole was a crime, you’d be arrested in no time.”

“Gary, if anyone of us is ever getting arrested, it sure wouldn’t be me.”

“Hmm, well played” Gary cocked his head. He laughed and held his hand out. “How you doin’, Ashy-boy? Getting enough trouble, ey?”

Ash shook Gary’s hand. “Not as much as I’d like.”

“Figured you’d say that.”

Gary was Ash’s biggest bully during his childhood and for a long time they grew up resenting themselves (unlike their fathers who were as close as two friends can get). When Ash started with his journey, his main objective was to beat Gary, but he lost at every step and turn which further invigorated his hatred for the auburn-haired trainer. Despite them repeated loses, Ash stuck to his _mantra_ and never gave up. Every time Gary knocked him over, he stood right back up. He took the taunts, the insults, and everything Gary could throw at him, but he never caved. He waited for his turn, and did come his turn. The Johto League Quarterfinals, the two Pallet town prodigies clashed head-to-head. It was in that iconic battle that they both earned each other’s respect and settled their everlasting rivalry.

Although Gary lost that battle, it helped him grow and realize his true potential and passion. He gave up Pokémon battles and decided to follow his grandfather’s footsteps and turned a researcher. Gary was probably the only researcher Ash knew of who boasted an exceptional battle record. Ash would never admit it, but despite his superior achievements, he truly believed that if there was one person he’d think twice before go up against, it was Gary.

“I heard the news, Ashy-boy.” Gary raised an eyebrow and sized him up. “You beat Brandon, huh?”

Ash smirked and pointed a thumb at himself. “You’re looking at the youngest Battle Frontier Champion.” If there was one thing Ash loved, it was to boast about himself in front of Gary. Their rivalry only faded its colors, it never disappeared and knowing he has one more up on Gary gave him an odd satisfaction.

“Careful there. Bragging ain’t too healthy.” Gary shoved his hand into his pocket, his trademark style he had adopted all those years ago to impress girls which Ash thought was ridiculous. It was surprising he never let go of that.

“It isn’t bragging if it’s true.” Ash glanced at Pikachu, showing his open palm out. “Right, buddy?”

 **“Damn straight,”** Pikachu jumped and hi-fived Ash.

“Alright, I’ll play along.” Gary flicked his hair. “Congrats, and that’s all you’ll ever get.”

“You know what, Gary? If being polite was a crime, you’d never be arrested. But thanks anyway.” Ash squinted his eyes, perplexed. “Wait a minute, when did you arrive? Weren’t you in Unova region?”

“Flew in this morning, didn’t gramps tell you?”

“No, maybe it slipped his mind.”

“I’m not surprised, he’s getting old. What about you, here to meet your Pokémon?”

“Yes, here to announce our new travel plans.” Bulbasaur got excited at this revelation, but didn’t say much.

“Back on road again? That’s so you. Which region next?”

“Kalos.”

Gary flashed a knowing grin and threw an arm around Ash’s shoulders. Ash had an explicit idea behind that malicious expression.

Gary wiggled his brows. “Is it to—”

“Don’t! We’ve been down this road before.”

“Funny how you know exactly what I’m talking about,” Gary smirked. He reached down to Bulbasaur and stroked his head. “Aren’t you going to ask him to do the honors?”

Bulbasaur turned to Ash for permission.

“Go ahead, do it,” Ash said.

Bulbasaur nodded. He leaped forward and charged his bulb, drawing in the solar energy. The glittering sunlight rushed into the notch on his bulb, once charged enough, with a heavy grunt, he shot a solar beam into the air. The radiance from the bulb diverged into seven different colors, each covering a significant area of the ranch.

“Never gets old.” Gary stared in awe at the magnificent visual. It wasn’t any less alluring than a masterpiece at an art gallery.

“It never will.”

A while later, a stampede headed towards the group. The thumping from the horde sent earthquake-like vibrations through the ground. Gary and Pikachu, aware of the forthcoming events recused themselves from Ash.

A robust headbutt to his gut blew Ash a few feet away. An ice beam and several other attacks from his Pokémon followed up which all ended with a bone crushing hug from his Snorlax. Pikachu, unable to resist, joined in with an electrifying thunderbolt.

“Grr…” Ash croaked in pain. “There are better ways to say hello, guys.”

 **“I missed you so much.”** Bayleef headbutted him again and nuzzled him ecstatically. The rest followed with their affection, peacefully this time.

Ash took his time in giving enough attention to each of his Pokémon which took a while. Only later did he realize something missing. “Guys, where is Charizard?”

Before Ash could get a response, a giant flamethrower engulfed him. “There…you…are,” the charred Ash groaned, falling face down.

 **“How’s it going, Big Red?”** Pikachu asked. It was the nickname he gave Charizard when he evolved from Charmeleon. Charizard was then known for his volatile temper and adamant attitude. He searched for reasons to get annoyed and pick fights, but somehow the nickname from Pikachu never seemed to offend him, rather it grew on him. However, Pikachu was the only ‘mon who dared to call him that.

 **“Never better, Yellow,”** Charizard said as he landed next to Ash. He gave a sloppy lick to Ash’s face, cleaning the soot on it. **“What’s up, Ash?”**

 **“He has an announcement to make,”** Pikachu said. **“Comrades, line up!”**

Ash’s entire team of thirteen surrounded him and Gary. All neighboring Pokémon have already fled the area. The ferocious herd formed by Ash’s team was enough to scare them.

With an inflated chest, Ash took in the sight of his army of warriors. It wasn’t too often that they all assemble at one place, but when they do, their tenacious expressions and the air of trust between them made them resemble like that one elite team in action movies which was called upon only for the most impossible of missions. Ash panned his head across each of his Pokémon.

Bulbasaur, Totodile, and Squirtle were his smaller Pokémon and his only unevolved first-stage bunch. Their miniature anatomy was like a façade which made opponent drop their guard, since despite their appearance, they packed a severe punch, winning Ash numerous battles over the years. Bulbasaur usually stayed at the ranch most of the time, keeping everyone in check. Squirtle was once the leader of a firefighting group—The Squirtle Squad, but after reuniting with Ash during Battle Frontier, his experience there realigned his interests back into battles. He decided to resign his job and rejoin Ash in his quests. Totodile: well, he loved to dance.

Bayleef, Quilava, Primeape, Tauros, Snorlax, and Heracross made up his larger bunch. They were the most rotated Pokémon in Ash’s team (besides Snorlax) and were some of the most battle experienced in his lot. Bayleef and Quilava were Ash’s only female Pokémon (besides Pidgeot), they joined Ash in Johto region. Despite their overlapping similarities, both Pokémon were antithesis to each other in their personalities. Primeape was once the Kanto P1 Champion who trained under Anthony, a special boxing trainer for fighting types. With his help, Primeape went on to win the next series championships. Even today, his reputation in the Kanto boxing world was that of a legend due to his spotless record. It wasn’t until Ash’s Hoenn journey that Primeape joined him back.

The remaining were Ash’s evolved powerhouses whose mere presence sometimes sent shivers up their opponents.

Sceptile, Ash’s lone Hoenn catch and one of his latest evolution was also his fastest land Pokémon. His commitment towards growth and hunger for tough opponents is unparalleled. With ferocity on land and mobility in air, he was a complete package for any type of situation. He stood tall with a razor gaze as he gnawed on a little twig.

Ash’s true flying type, and the only one he’ll ever need, his Pidgeot. She was the second Pokémon Ash had caught (first was Buterfree who he had released) and his only _shiny_ specie. While in Air, she was second to none. A beauty graced with courage and finesse which attracted numerous eyes of admiration and jealousy alike.

Great battles are fought by the brave and not the strong, Ash’s Charizard was an embodiment to that statement. Ash had to go through a rocky path to gain Charizard’s trust and, boy did it take him some time, but when he did, together they recorded some of the greatest battles of the decade. With the heart of a warrior, resilience of a monk, and the loyalty of a knight, he was Ash’s raw might and his true ace up his sleeve.

Strength, speed, and trust—the three pillars of Ash’s battle style. When these three are coupled together—came Pikachu, Ash’s his eternal partner. Besides being Ash’s starter, Pikachu is also his most trusted ally. If Ash were to fight a life/death battle, he’d have no one, but Pikachu with him. Though tiny in size, he put down some of Ash’s biggest and strongest opponents. Small things did come in big packages, Pikachu made sound justice to that statement.

“You still can’t cross my total Pokémon,” Gary smirked. He had over a hundred which included many Pokémon in multiple numbers. He belonged to that clan which believed in keeping a large roster, but Gary certainly went a little overboard with that concept.

“Don’t plan on either,” Ash said. “I want to spend enough time with all my Pokémon.”

Ash’s Pokémon growled at Gary. Each one having a fiery glint of acrimony.

Gary trembled and paced back a few steps. “Ask them to stop, Ash.”

“Guys, calm down. I have some very exciting news for you’ll.”

 **“Exciting?”** Squirtle said. **“Yeah, give it to me, boss.”**

“Alright then,” Ash balled his fist and punched the air. “We’re going to Kalos region!”

His Pokémon roared and cheered in delight, like a cloud of euphoria rained on them. They went berserk. Squirtle, Primeape, and Totodile celebrated with a group dance, which was soon joined by Pikachu. They clung each other’s arms and alternately swung their legs back and forth. Pidgeot and Charizard flew circles in air which ended with Pidgeot diving through Charizard’s fire rings. A few ran victory circles around Ash and a few stood there cheering, even the ever stoic Quilava and Sceptile joined in the celebrations. This was the moment they all waited for.

When the crowd settled, Ash looked at his team. Every pair of eyes ignited a new flame. They all wanted one thing and that one thing was to win and Ash knew, this was it, this will be time he’ll go all the way through.

* * *

Ash was on a late-night stroll with Pikachu through the placid streets of Pallet town. A few days have passed since he made his plans to Kalos and with every passing second, his excitement could only increase. He went on and on about Kalos, how determined he was to take on his next challenge, meet Pokémon he had never seen before, and more importantly how anxious he was to meet Serena after five long years. He predominantly tried to avoid her subject as to evade Pikachu and his mom’s teasing spree, which he triumphantly lost, of course. However, tonight, Kalos or Serena were the last thoughts in his mind.

The raven-haired trainer kicked a stone and watched it roll over a fallen leaf across the deserted street. His had these pestering questions in his head and had no one to turn to for answers. While he had shared it with Pikachu, the little mouse could hardly provide any insights. He was just as clueless as Ash.

 **“Annoyed much?”** Pikachu asked, moseying beside Ash.

“No,” Ash stated plainly. He so much so didn’t even flick a glance at Pikachu. He shoved his freezing hands in his pockets and sauntered along. He remained silent for the next few minutes before he blurted out his next words. “You believe in destiny, buddy?”

**“I don’t think your dream has anything to do with destiny, Ash. It’s just a simple dream.”**

“I think it has everything to do with it. It didn’t feel like a dream. It was different from any dream before. It was like a message. I can’t explain, but I know it.”

**“Hmm, you recognize the place in your dream?”**

“No. There was nothing left to recognize. Everything I could have known was destroyed.”

**“I’m sorry, Ash, but I’ve got nothing to help you.”**

“I know. I just wish there was someone who could tell me something about this,” Ash said. He deliberated on telling it to his mom, but that predominantly could end up against him. His mom was the type who strived to shield him from every evil in the world. If she got even one sniff of premonition due to any reason, Ash could kiss his dreams of journeying throughout the world goodbye.

Lost in his train of thoughts, Ash absentmindedly drifted into the nearby forest. He ventured through the thick foliage, loitering in the no man’s verdure.

A while later, both the trainer and Pokémon found themselves in an empty clearing. An eerie stillness enveloped them. Surrounding them were dark shrubs and tall trees, all scathing the meagre penetrating moonlight. Neither Ash nor Pikachu remembered their way out.

 **“I-I think we should leave,”** Pikachu said.

With an agreeing nod, Ash quickly scouted for an exit, but all routes seemed to resemble each other and the parched earth hardly registered their footprints to trace back.

A cloak of dense pinkish fog circled them, deteriorating their limited visibility. A shiver ran through Ash’s veins. He couldn’t explicitly explain his fear, but for some reason he thought that the voice from his dream is here to haunt him. Pikachu was on guard, ready to confront any hostility.

**“Boo!”**

“Aahh!” Ash flinched at the voice and thrusted his face to the ground while Pikachu released a reflexive thunderbolt electrocuting his vicinity, Ash included.

“Who was that? Show yourself right now!” Ash demanded from his seated position.

A silhouette of a tiny body and elongated tail appeared amidst the fog. Ash was unable to discern figure, there wasn’t much light to assist. He stood on his feet and dusted himself. “Get ready, Pikachu.”

Pikachu vigilantly crouched and his cheek sacs emitted static sparks. He growled. **“Come on out, you piece of shit.”**

 **“How cute. You actually think you can beat me,”** the figure giggled in a feminine voice.

Ash’s eyes lit up. While he failed to recognize the silhouette, not the voice. “Mew!” he exclaimed.

Mew approached the trainer and hovered circles around him. **“You should have seen your face, he-he-he. You were as scared as a Cubone who lost his club.”**

“No, I was not. Just surprised, that’s all.” Ash pursed his lips.

 **“Whatever gets you to sleep at night, pretty face.”** Mew patted Ash’s cheek. She then flew over to Pikachu to greet him.

“Very funny.” Ash crossed his arms and pouted. Mews actions made her seem like that one mischievous kid of a friend or family member who you really look forward to meet, but instantly relieved when they leave. But here she was, a super legendary, playing the fool. Irony sure had its ways.

Mew soared up and down taunting Pikachu to lay a paw on her tail. Pikachu seemed excited at the little game and played along. If Ash wasn’t wrong, Pikachu was deliberately holding back simply to prolong the game.

Ash chuckled. Watching them play like that was an adorable sight, however he didn’t think Mew came here just to play with Pikachu. He walked up to her. “It’s great seeing you again, Mew.”

Mew ended her play and flew towards Ash. She grinned and briskly nodded. **“Good seeing you too… Chosen One.”** She winked.

Ash was taken aback a few paces. There was no way she knew of his dream, or did she? “H-h-how—”

**“—did I know?”**

Ash nodded reluctantly.

Mew giggled. **“Who do you think I am?”**

Mew was a legendary whose absolute omniscience transcended her impish reputation, so it wasn’t a surprise she knew of his dream. Besides, if there was anyone in the world who could elaborate his dream, it was her. “You know about my dream?”

 **“Vaguely,”** Mew said. **“And it wasn’t just any dream, Ash.”**

“What is it then?”

**“The future of this world from one of the infinite parallel realities.”**

Mew had a stern expression which conveyed that she wasn’t messing in the slightest bit. Ash swallowed the lump in his throat. “W-will it h-happen to this world?”

**“Not unlikely.”**

Ash paled. The hair on his arms stood upright. This was what he was afraid of. He knew that his dream had a deeper meaning, but for it to be a possible future was the last thing he had expected. There was no way his dream could be true. He didn’t want to believe in Mew, but deep down, his gut told him otherwise. It was as if he already knew of all this. “We need to stop it then.”

**“Not we, you. Only you can do that.”**

Ash’s eyes widened. “Me?”

**“You know why.”**

Ash tilted his head. “No, I don’t.”

 **“Yes, you do.”** Mew floated close to Ash and gazed into him. A glint of hope sparked in her eyes like he was the answer to an unsolvable puzzle. Ash could tell she was expecting him to figure it out. She looked convinced that he knew the answer.

Ash wasn’t entirely dumb. From what Mew had called him, his adventures in Shamouti Island, and finally the dream he had, he had a vivid notion of what the legendary wanted to hear. But Ash wasn’t ready to admit it. Perhaps he didn’t want to sound egotistical, or perhaps he didn’t want to accept such responsibility, or maybe he was only waiting to be to told rather than him telling, but whatever it was, Ash remained dubious. However, Mew’s trusting stare stirred a radical spirit within him. He took a breath, mustered the courage, and said what he thought would never come out of his mouth. “I am… the Chosen One?”

**“You are. That is your destiny.”**

A pulse of fear shot through Ash, a touch of distressing burden. He neither flinched nor moved, he stood cemented to the ground as if a wizard had cast a body-binding spell on him. He had no idea about realities and its parallels, he wasn’t even sure if he believed in destiny. But this was his inhibition, and it’s alive. He gulped, clearing his dry throat. “What should I do?”

**“Train. Train like you’ve never trained before, for one day, that will be your greatest weapon.”**

“I will, Mew. I’m going to Kalos in a few days and I promise to get stronger.”

**“That won’t do. You’ll have to train in dire conditions against the strongest Pok** **é** **mon and your gym battles won’t cut it.”**

“What do you suggest?”

**“Go, go to Assumption Island. If you want to have any chances of saving this world, that’s your only option.”**

“Assumption Island? What is it and where is it?”

 **“South of Kanto. Go there soon before it’s too late.”** Mew flicked her head back. She paused and said, **“I have to leave now, you take care. And, Ash, let this be our little secret.”**

“Mew, wait! I have more—” she vanished. A gentle breeze of uncertainty swept across Ash’s face.

Ash sighed. He had many more questions to ask Mew. He wanted to know what are the threats waiting for him, who was that who spoke to him in his dream, and more. Maybe he’ll get his answers in time, or maybe not, but he wasn’t going to let his fear dictate him.

Pikachu looked at Ash questioningly, his eyes said it all. If there’s a chance to stop what Ash saw in his dream, they’d take it, no matter how slim the odds of success were, or how difficult the path was. With the stakes so high, choice was an unaffordable luxury. **“What are you going to do, Ash?”**

“Serena will not be happy with me, buddy.”

* * *

Ash watched his mom’s bewitching garden through the lone window in his living room. He had his hands wrapped around a glass of piping hot cocoa, relishing the warmth from its steam on this cold pleasant evening. The bird Pokémon in the garden chirped in tandem like a symphony of nature’s orchestra. He took a light sip, devouring the delicacy of his favorite drink.

“So, Ash, your mom says you’ve decided on your next journey,” his uncle Lance, the current Champion of Kanto region and his mother’s elder brother said. He was the only relative that Ash had and the lone father figure in his life. The role of a champion, although authoritative, came with a heavy demand for time, as a result Lance was always busy, therefore these occasional visits were quite special to his mother as well as him. “Which region is it?”

“Kalos, Lance,” him mom chimed, walking in with a tray in her hands. She placed it on the centre table and offered one of the two tea cups to her brother.

“Thanks, Delia,” Lance said. He took a sip of the tea, shut his eyes, and shook his head in satisfaction. “Mmm… is it you or something you add? Your tea is the best I’ve ever had.”

Delia took a seat next to Ash and sipped on her tea. “If you like it so much you should consider visiting more often.”

“It’s not like I don’t want to. You know the duties of a champion; I hardly make time for myself.”

“I understand.”

“Hey, mom, where’s Pikachu?”

“He’s out shopping with Mimey, but I’m sure he went only to get free samples at the store.” Delia giggled. “He’s such a cutie, Ash. I’ll miss you both when you’ll be off to Kalos.”

Ash covertly rolled his eyes. _Yeah, sure he went for the samples._

“Anyway, Ash, the Kalos gyms are one hell of a challenge. Have you planned on how you’re going to face them?”

“About that—” Ash grinned sheepishly as he scratched the back of his head. “I’m not going to Kalos.” He turned away, avoiding eye contact.

“What?” Delia exclaimed, nearly spilling her beverage. She placed the cup on the table and frowned at Ash. “What do you mean by: not going to Kalos? You couldn’t wait to get there until yesterday. What about Serena? Her graduation is in less than a week, you’re going to miss that too?”

“I know, mom, but right now I have to train. Train like never before and get really strong. For that, I must postpone my journey. Missing Serena’s graduation sucks, but this is something I have to do and I’m sure she’ll understand.”

“Think again, Ash. You can train in Kalos too. How long do you think you can sit at home and train?”

“I never said I’ll be staying home, mom. I’ll be training at Assumption Island.”

“Assumption Island?” Delia cocked her head. “What’s that?”

“If I may intervene,” Lance said, placing his empty cup on the table. He crossed his arms and continued, “Assumption Island is an independent island located between Kanto and Orange Archipelago.” He narrowed his brow and put on a rigid face. “Who told you about that place, Ash?” he asked. He gave an impression that he knew a lot about this island. It wasn’t unexpected, given his position, it would be surprising if he didn’t know. However, Lance’s expression and change of tone suggested a lot more than just knowing.

Ash stuttered. “I-I heard about it somewhere.” The last words out of Mew’s mouth were to keep their conversation a secret, Ash had no intentions of going against the legendary’s wish even if it meant lying to the Regional Champion.

Lance leaned forward and furrowed his brow. “Is that all? Trainers don’t usually go there.”

“Why is that, Lance?” Delia asked.

Ash grimaced. Mew also told him he had to train in the most brutal conditions. This wasn’t just another travel for him, it was a preliminary warzone he had to come out victorious just to enter the battle. Looking at his uncle reaction, Ash was up for one hell of a debate.

“Take Mt. Silver and multiply its dangers and challenges by five times and you’ll have Assumption Island.”

Delia jumped onto her legs. “That’s it. Sit at home for the rest of your life, I don’t care, I’ll feed you, but you are not going there.”

“Mom—”

“No!” his mom cut him off. “I don’t want to hear it. I won’t have my only son into that wretched place.” She clasped her hands. “I can’t lose you too.” She marched out of the house avoiding any further escalation.

Ash thought he saw a tear in his mom’s eyes before she left. His mom was emotional, but he never saw her react this way, well he never really asked to jump in a spitfire before, so he couldn’t really blame her. He did feel miserable though. He had never seen his mom cry before, she was that one jovial neighborhood mother who was invited to every dinner party and seeing her like this wasn’t a digestible sight.

He put his head down, devastated. He didn’t want to go against his mom’s word, but he gave Mew his word that he would train at Assumption Island. He foresaw this situation last night itself. He thought he could convince his mom somehow, but the way she reacted implied that no amount of persuasion could influence her. He wasn’t going there in search of trouble, but was only following Mew’s instructions. If a legendary like her advised him to go there, then there must be a substantial reason behind it. Besides, if the only way to prevent his nightmare from happening was to train at Assumption Island, he had to take it. He had no choice. He decided that if his mom remained stubborn on her decision then he would escape one night while she was asleep. It would hurt her, no doubt, but he had to do this. He had to learn more about the future. He had to protect his friends and family.

A strong hand landed on Ash’s shoulder.

“Let me handle this.”

* * *

“Not this time, Lance. You’re not convincing me,” Delia said, pacing through her garden, the lawn grass crunching beneath her footsteps. Going on a journey was one thing, but considering how Lance put it, that island wasn’t any different from a death trap and the only way Ash was going there was by walking over her cold dead body.

“I know, I just came here to talk.” Lance approached her. “I haven’t seen you so uptight since your teenage years.”

Delia frowned and crossed her arms. “That was the same thing you said to me before you convinced me to let my only ten-year-old out in the wild. I’m not falling for your tricks this time.”

“Okay, okay, you got me,” Lance held his arms up with a chortle. “But if I wanted, I could have lied and said it was the safest place in the world. Think about it,” Lance tapped his head.

“What do you want, Lance?”

“Just want to talk to my sister. How about you giving me a tour of your garden?”

That was strange. Delia never knew Lance to be interested in her gardening skills. Her brother always considered it a futile hobby. “Are you sure you want that?” Delia raised a skeptical eyebrow.

“You never really gave me one in a long time, so why not?”

“Okay, come with me.”

Delia walked her brother through the mini paradise that she had nurtured over the years. Her garden, though small, had over forty varieties of plants and flowers growing all over. There were bonsai trees lined perfectly on both sides of the garden bench placed in the corner, bordering the wooden house wall—this was where Delia spent most of her evening basking in the sunlight. She continued with her tour explaining the various flowers ranging from domestic to exotic growing on the softscape of shrubs and bushes, adjoined to the olive fencing and gradually made her way towards the glamorous décor of assorted pottery sculptures which filled the few empty spaces between them.

With every step of the way, Delia made sure to explain Lance of the biology and history of each plant. Lance nodded at every chunk of knowledge she threw at him, but he hardly seemed to understand.

She then took him to her favorite spot, the furthest space in her backyard where she grew all her dearest plants. She made sure that this part was well hidden behind the house, next to the kitchen where she could always keep an eye on them through the window as well as avoid any passerby’s envious acts of sabotage.

Lance’s lips spread into a wide grin when they reached there like he had planned all this from the beginning.

“Are these Arum Lilies?” Lance asked, gesturing at abundantly growing flowers.

Delia smiled, perhaps even flushed a little. “Yes, I’m surprised you remember them.”

“How could I not? He asked me over a hundred times if you’d like these.”

Both siblings stared at each other. “Idiot,” they said in unison with a shake of their heads. They burst out laughing.

“You haven’t really moved on after Red,” Lance said.

Delia kneeled and plucked one flower. She caressed the pearl white petals which looked like a white leaf wrapped into a trumpet with golden stigma sticking out of it. She whiffed it soothing scent, remembering that jubilant day like yesterday.

“I don’t need to. I see every reflection of him in Ash. I guess that’s enough for me. That’s why I’m not letting Ash go to that island. He wants to go to Kalos, I’m more than happy to let him, but not to that place.”

“I can understand; you don’t want to lose him.” Lance stroked his chin. “But would you have said the same if it was Red? You did allow him to do far worse things.”

“Your blaming me for his death now?” Delia’s fingers touched her parted lips. “How could you do that to me, Lance?”

“Delia, I never said you were responsible. I would never say that. All I’m trying to point out is that you let Red be him, so why not Ash?”

“Letting him be him got him killed! Do you get that? He is no more with me!”

“Yes, but had you not let him, you would’ve hated yourself for life and that’s an undeniable fact.”

“I already do, had I said _no_ that night, Red would’ve been alive today.” Delia drooped her shoulders.

“You didn’t know the dangers then; you can’t blame yourself for it.”

“Maybe I didn’t then, but I do now and I’m not letting Ash go,” Delia said in a tearful voice.

Lance held Delia’s shoulders and stared at her seriously. “Look, Delia, you know Ash better than anyone in this world. If he sets his mind onto something, he never gives up.”

“You think he’ll go against my word?”

“No, but I think he’ll prefer to apologize later than convince first.”

Delia bowed her head. “That’s how always Red saw, yes?”

“He is his father’s son.”

“That he is, Lance, but what about the dangers there? How do you expect me to sleep in peace not knowing if he is safe or not?”

“I won’t sugarcoat it, the Pokémon there are vicious, the terrain is rugged, and it sometimes it rains for days there. Ash might even not be able to find food at times. But I wouldn’t have come to talk to you if I didn’t think he can handle all that.”

“He is tough, isn’t he?” a small prideful smile crept on Delia’s lips.

Lance smiled and blinked with a nod. “You’ve raised him well. I’ll give you that.”

“He admires you a lot, Lance. He is so eager to battle you one day.”

“I’d never admit this to him, but I might be a little scared to face him that day.”

“You better be, my son will be a Pokémon Master before you know it.”

“Heh,” Lance smirked. “I look forward. So, will you give him the good news, or should I?

Delia smiled. “I will.”

When Delia and Lance entered the house, Ash was still rooted to his place. He hadn’t moved an inch. Even his cocoa drink was left untouched. He seemed to be thinking with his head laid back and eyes shut. He was so focused in his thoughts that didn’t even hear them coming.

“Ahem, ahem,” Lance cleared his throat. He crossed his arms, wearing a triumphant smirk.

Ash got up and sat in attention. He seemed a little dazed.

“Three conditions, Ash,” Delia said, holding three fingers out.

“For what?” Ash asked.

“For you to go to your Assumption Island.”

Ash jumped on his toes with a wide grin. “You mean I can go?”

“Mm-hmm,” Delia nodded. “But I want you to promise me these three things.”

“Anything!”

“First, you’ll inform Lance about any danger. Please use that emergency feature in your PokéDex for once.”

“That’s right. I and my Dragonite will be there in minutes to pick you up should you fall into any trouble.”

“I can do that, I promise. Second?”

“You’ll change your underwear every day,” Delia burst out laughing along with a chuckling Lance, leaving Ash with an embarrassed red face.

“Mom! Stop it!” Ash pursed his lips. “What’s the last condition?”

Delia ended her brief amusement. “Promise me that you’ll do your best out there and when you come back, you’ll win the Kalos League.”

“I will,” Ash grinned. He jumped, plunging a fist into the air, “Alright! Assumption Island, here I come.”

* * *

Ash leaned against the railing on the deck of Titan Cruise, headed towards the Orange Archipelago. His uncle Lance used his Champion status and pulled a few strings and got him a ride. The cruise is supposed to pit stop at Assumption Island which was due in a few hours. It’s been a week since he had his conversation with Mew and that was one stressful week.

Though his uncle managed to convince his mom, the real trouble Ash had to face was convincing Serena. His Pokémon understood him and offered to follow him wherever he led, especially after they heard about the incident with Mew, but the honey-blonde was another case. He couldn’t bear the thought of disappointing her, not after he saw how excited she was when she informed him of her graduation. She seemed more elated that they were finally going on a journey than she was graduating. However, surprisingly the Kalos native took the news well, maybe not entirely well. She did throw a small tantrum, but later understood when Ash told her how important it was to him. She supported him in his choice and agreed to wait however long it took. Ash was eternally grateful for her reconsideration.

Conversations weren’t Ash’s only complications. If he had to train then he required his entire Pokémon with him, but legally six was his limit. When he went to Professor Oak with his dilemma, the revered professor offered a simple solution. He temporarily deactivated Ash’s license which allowed him to exceed his carry limit, but it did come at a certain cost. Ash would not be able to use his license or partake in any league recognized competitions nor could he enjoy their trainer facilities. Since Ash had no such plans anyway, it hardly made any difference.

Two days have passed since Ash embarked the cruise. He could not contain his nerves knowing that his destination was just a few hours away. No matter how far away he was, every few minutes his mind told him that he had reached and that every few minutes, the future Pokémon Master rose to his toes, scouting the horizon.

Countless minutes have passed, but Ash hadn’t seen a speck of land; only endless water reflecting the sky’s allure. He thanked his mom for the sea sickness pill and decided to check up on his Pokémon who he had let out to kill time. Apart from his Tauros (who preferred to rest) and Snorlax (who decided to stay at the ranch where food and sleep was plentiful) the rest were out enjoying the time off.

Up in the sky, his Pidgeot was racing against his Charizard. Apparently, sparring wasn’t enough, so the two turned it into a flying race and unsurprisingly, his Pidgeot was winning. When it came to flying, his regal bird outmatched every Pokémon he had ever come across. She had that certain flair and mobility during flight which Ash had never seen elsewhere.

Bayleef basked in the afternoon sun, laying on one of the many sun beds on the deck. She had Squirtle’s extra pair of sunglasses on her eyes and a tall glass of green juice wrapped by her vine which she slurped with a straw. She was having the time of her life as she finally got her dream holiday. Following her lead, Quilava and Sceptile occupied the two empty beds beside her. Unlike Bayleef, Sceptile was focusing on his solar absorbing skills while Quilava seemed to be there simply to avoid the huddling crowd.

Squirtle spent most of his time in the ocean. It wasn’t always he got such opportunity to let loose his swimming skills. The pond in the ranch was quite small and Squirtle could never unleash his full potential there. He wasn’t anywhere around presently, but Ash hoped he would be back soon. Hopefully he wasn’t causing any mischief.

Pikachu teamed up with Primeape in a beachball game against Bulbasaur and Heracross. The latter team was losing miserably which was probably the result of Heracross’s interest in his teammate’s nutritious bulb rather than the game itself. Pikachu must’ve been the one to suggest the teams, that tiny bugger never failed to skew the odds in his favor.

Totodile was the most impressive of the lot, showcasing his dancing and juggling skills on the deck and gathered a small crowd of passengers. A few even went back to their compartments and got him treats, slowly pilling them beside Totodile. Ash hoped his Pokémon wouldn’t fight over them later.

The cruise ship honked.

Ash snapped his head back towards the ocean. A distant pea-sized island came in his view. Goosebumps ran through his body. That was the only landmass he’s seen in hours. The feeling of getting closer aroused him.

“‘Dat’s where ye ‘eadded, lad.” a thick sailor accented voice said.

Ash turned back. Dressed in sparkling white clothes was the ship captain walking towards him.

“That’s Assumption Island, you say?” Ash asked.

“Aye. Tis some beaut, ey? Y’ll noe when ye see it.”

“Mm-hmm. I just can’t wait.”

“Yer goin’a train ‘der, ey?”

“That’s the plan, Captain.”

The captain stroked his chin and sized him up. “Ye gots balls, lad, I give ye ‘dat. Me ‘ear ‘bout ‘dat ‘land. It ain’ any calm sea sa’lin’”

“Ha-ha, thanks, Captain. I’m confident I can survive with my Pokemons’ help.”

“May ye ‘ave fair winds and following seas. Me go check on me lads now. Arceus forbid, ‘dey’d need’n some ‘eavy whoopin’ in’a ass. So long.”

“So long to you too, Captain.” The Captain left.

Ash went back to staring at the steadily approaching island. It gradually revealed itself in bits and pieces—either sand or vegetation covered most part of it. It seemed as bifurcated as his own emotions itself—two distinct feelings brawling on the two edges of a see-saw for the upper hand. He was afraid of the mysterious threats ahead while at the same time, determined on facing them.

As Ash’s destination got closer, the evolution of his fear into courage accelerated, eventually joining the two imposters into one. Some men are born brave, some achieve bravery, and some have bravado thrust upon them. With Ash, it was all three, and whatever awaited him was just another challenge, like tomorrow was just another day.

He smirked. “Bring it on.”

* * *


	2. The Island

Puffs of wind whistled past his raven hair, compelling each of its strand to dance in tandem with the short bursts. With every wisp of air came a briny deposit, kissing his lips ever so tenderly. Ash stood on the narrow old wooden dock of the Assumption Island. Its crippled frame and moist platform squeaked with every prudent step—each quiver was a prayer for mends as it awaited its collapse on the load of a feather.

Ash and Pikachu had disembarked the Titan Cruise a few minutes ago and were gauging the said island. Given its reputation, the duo was thoroughly disappointed. Coarse grains of sand covered most part of it while unevenly scattered rocks and thorny arid vegetation in small pools took the other share. The ocean waves occasionally caressed the land and deposited tiny seashells at every meeting. The island was bleak and desolated, much like the place Ash saw in his dream, but what separated this island from the place in his dream was the gargantuan cliff before him. It was so huge that Ash had to raise his head all the way up just to get a glimpse at its peak. Erratically growing flora adorned its slopes while giant rocks with sharp edges pointed upwards secured its base from any invasion. There was no life around nor any route up. The island was truly abandoned.

_Why did Mew want me to train here? Maybe the real challenge is up on that hill._

Pikachu mirrored Ash’s reaction. He too was examining the remote ambiance and seemed like he shared Ash’s thoughts.

Ash stretched his arms and cracked his knuckles. “You’re thinking what I’m thinking, Pikachu?”

**“Depends. What are you thinking?”**

“Thinking maybe we can finish our climb to top by tonight.”

Pikachu rolled his eyes. **“Keep thinking. I’m out!”**

“What! Why? Shouldn’t go to the top? There’s nothing down here. It’d be difficult to even find food.”

**“I’m not against going to the top. I’m against the idea of climbing.”**

“How do you suppose we go there then?”

**“How about we fly to the top on Pidgeot or Big Red? It’ll easily take us a few days if we try climbing. I can use my quick attack, what about you, huh?”**

Ash grinned sheepishly. Pikachu had a valid reasoning. Given the height of the cliff and its jagged slope the hike could easily take them days or maybe weeks if they run out of luck. Whereas flying there shouldn’t take them longer than a few minutes. Sometimes his over-enthusiasm got the better of him.

He adjusted his hat and slipped a Pokéball in his hand. “I choose you, Charizard,” he tossed the bi-colored sphere in air.

With a monstrous roar Charizard materialized out in air. Had there been any Pokémon nearby, they’d have fled by now from the fire type’s flamboyant entrance. He flew in circles and inspected his surroundings. He launched a flamethrower into the air and landed next to Ash. **“Are we where I think we are?”** His eternally raging eyes flamed in battle thirst.

**“Landed a few minutes ago, Big Red.”**

“That’s right.”

 **“What are we waiting for then? Let the training begin. Where do I find those strong Pokémon you spoke of? I want to test their mettle and show them who’s the real boss.”** Charizard said with a fiery glint in his eyes. He launched another flamethrower to substantiate his tenacity. He had been itching for a tussle worth his while, and ever since Ash postponed their plan to Kalos, Charizard’s prime focus was set on beating every Pokémon on this island.

 **“Stop! Stop! Stop!”** Pikachu jumped before the fire type and emphatically waved his paws. **“First, listen to what Ash has to say.”**

**“Huh? What is it, Ash? Don’t tell me we’re going back.”**

“No, nothing like that, Charizard. I just want you to fly us to the top. Can do that?” Ash said before his fire-dragon went berserk in search of strong opponents (something he was very much capable of). “If I have to guess, the strong Pokémon should be up there.”

 **“Hop on then, we’ve got no time to waste.”** Charizard’s nostrils puffed thin clouds of smoke. He crouched, allowing Ash and Pikachu to get on his back.

Ash climbed on to his Charizard’s back with Pikachu following suit. “Let’s go!” he punched the air.

Upon Ash’s ardent declaration, Charizard flapped his brawny wings and took off with a thunderous holler. His theatrical launch blustered a colossal trail of loose sand and hurled the nearby rocks and pebbles. Ash held a firm grip onto his fire-dragon's body. Unlike his majestic bird, Pidgeot, Charizard’s rides were bumpier than he signed up for. His prime focus being the destination, and not the ride. Why Ash choose him over Pidgeot was a question he asked himself over ten times in the last ten seconds.

A lawless flurry of air currents aggressively assaulted Ash like a hailstorm on a winter night. The iciness of the speeding winds numbed his face and arms. He lowered his head and squinted his eyes as the hypnotic gravity disengaged its spell on him. As they continued with their up sail, Ash jarred and jerked at his fire-type's volatile ride. Pikachu was comfortable though, foreseeing the rocky ride, he deliberately perched himself before Ash, clutching onto his trainer's hat.

Charizard went a little overboard, overreaching their outlined destination and sailed over the cliff. Ash was inclined to stop him, but the aerial view of the island from their position gave him a better read of their location, besides the view was too breathtaking to be passed on.

The cliff Ash initially wanted to climb turned out to be an extensive plateau with a rolling plain terrain which stretched beyond his line of sight. The southern part had a massive overgrowth of lush forests and vegetation with several clear dirt patches and diminutive ponds to connect all of them. Far off to the north, at a higher elevation were the dense untouched woodlands and lofty hills penetrating the silky clouds which, from a distance, appeared like a dark mane over an immature skull with numerous horns.

Ash spotted a few Pokémon of various sizes traversing through the forests and clear paths. He couldn’t name all, but was certain of a Rhyhorn pack heading towards a pond. Among the skies were the numerous flying types who complied with the turbulent gales, drifting along where the wind took them. Ash recognized the familiar wings like Swellows and Fearows, but the rest were new to him, probably from regions he had yet to visit.

“Right there, Charizard,” Ash pointed at an empty patch of land. There was a small pond nearby and adequate space to set camp. It wasn’t too far from the fringe nor too close, it was the ideal spot.

Charizard grunted in affirmation and rocketed towards the said clearing with his long snout aimed downwards. He spread his wings out, decelerating his motion, thereby reducing the recoil on landing. He docked with a heavy thud.

As soon as Charizard landed, dozens of Pokémon came out of hiding. They jumped down from the trees, popped out of bushes, and landed from the sky, and surrounded Ash and his team. They growled, closing in towards them.

Ash and Pikachu jumped down from Charizard and faced the island dwellers. _They must’ve seen us while we were in air. I need to talk to them before they act on instinct._

Ash waved a hand with a friendly grin. “Hey, guys, we are not looking for any trouble. We’re just here to check this place out and maybe train for a while. You’ll think that’s all right?”

Ash had put all his good qualities into that one dialogue and tried to communicate, but his attempt was futile. The island Pokémon didn’t hear a word he said, or they rather didn’t want to. Their menacing glares clearly indicated their disinclination to comprehend reason.

Ash quivered in nervousness. Yes, given a fair fight, his entire team could probably take the whole bunch out, but here the numbers were gravely stacked against them. Even if his team could take down the forty-fifty Pokémon here, there was no guarantee there wouldn’t be another wave and then, even their escape would seem impassable. Ash hunched his shoulders and held his hands out. “Gu-gu-guys, we don’t want any trouble, as I said—”

“Standby!” An adenoidal voice reverberated through the hostile huddle. It sounded old and rugged like the voice of a mountain dweller, but was dictatorial enough to halt the prowling Pokémon dead in their tracks.

The island Pokémon diverged, creating a narrow pathway leading to Ash. Towards the end was the contour of a man with long scepter in his hand. The shadows from the trees lurched his face and body, making it difficult to detect his appearance.

He marched forward, thumping his scepter with each step. The sun’s soft rays fell his face and his old age became visible. He had a white shawl, wavering at the mild breeze, elegantly draped around his torso. As he escaped the shadows, Ash got a better look at him. He had a bald oval face with meandering wrinkles all over and a long snowy beard, just shy from brushing his exposed belly. He seemed over a hundred years old, maybe more, but that was only his appearance talking.

The elderly man’s footsteps rustled the dead deciduous leaves as he approached Ash. He towered about six feet tall and his aged flesh emanated a distinct grassy odor. He struck his derby-brown scepter on the ground. “State your name and business.”

Ash got the hidden message behind the man’s stern voice and ominous glare. He only looked old, but in no way did he appear weak. He probably could beat Ash into a pulp without breaking a sweat.

Pikachu and Charizard took defensive positions, ready to protect their trainer at all costs.

“Calm down, guys. He just wants my name,” Ash said. There was enough hostility around. He didn’t want to add fuel to fire, besides he was glad there was at least another human here, however intimidating he was. “I’m Ash and you are?”

“The one who’ll be kicking your butts of this place. You have ten seconds to explain your presence here.” He struck his scepter to the ground.

“Hey, you don’t need to be so rude. We are only here to train. We were told this island—”

 **“Lies!”** A Venusaur from the accumulated crowd grunted. He lumbered up to the old man. **“He is here to poach like every other human who stepped foot on this place. We should kill him before he calls his partners.”**

 **“Yes! Kill him! Kill Him!”** an uproar began in the crowd.

“Hold on!” Ash yelled. “That’s not true, Venusaur. My Pokémon and I would never do something as awful as poaching.” He wasn’t surprised at Venusaur’s allegation. A place like this filled with strong Pokémon would be nothing short of a paradise for poachers, and judging by the initial reactions of the Pokémon here, there must’ve been quite a few victims. Ash could not blame the giant seed Pokémon for his irrational conclusion. He hoped the old man could shed some sense; it seemed all the Pokémon listened to him. “We are here to train and that’s that. Right, guys?”

 **“My master speaks truth,”** Charizard said. Pikachu nodded.

 **“You-you-you understood me?”** Venusaur retreated a few steps in panic.

Ash slapped his forehead in his mind. Great, the party hasn’t even begun yet, and he cut the cake.

The island Pokémon whispered and murmured, discussing their current situation. Some wanted to know how he understood Venusaur while some were interested in who he was. There were a few who thought that he was Arceus in disguise. But the best of all was a Psyduck who claimed he knew Ash from before. He told the Pokémon that Ash was a wicked magician who invades hidden lands, killing all life there, conquering the place for himself, and that he was here to do the same to this island. Unfortunately for Ash, many Pokémon bought that ludicrous story.

“No, listen to me. It’s not what you think it is. I’ve been able to understand Pokémon ever since I was a kid. I’m not here to harm any of you. I swear.” Ash did not want to reveal his aura secret. The Pokémon were already antagonistic and he had no intention on doubling that. One never knows how the other perceives to mysticism such as aura. Besides, giving such information was perhaps a little too much for a first interaction.

“Since you were a kid, huh?” the old man broke his silence. He stroked his beard, giving Ash a knowing look. “No, this place is out of limits. I suggest you return to where you came from; if you value your life, that is,” he smirked.

Charizard was ready to pounce on the old man, but Ash stopped him. “Why should I? I’m not leaving this place. This island is not a private property, I have all the right to be here. Who are you to order me?”

The island Pokémon scowled at Ash threateningly like they awaited the kill order. They didn’t appreciate any disregard towards the old gaffer.

The man slammed his scepter to the ground. Its loud thud hushed the Pokémon in a heartbeat. Even Ash flinched a little. “My credentials are inconsequential. This may not be a private island, but I’m in charge here. You need to leave right away,” he scowled. This was the second time the man avoided the question. This made Ash a tad bit suspicious. Never in his life had he met someone so keen on keeping his identity a secret, unless it was an undercover member of an evil organization.

“I’m not going anywhere until you tell me why.” Ash gritted his teeth. “We are here to—”

“Enough!” the old man yelled and held his open palm out. “I’ve heard those stories before. Be gone or face my wrath. You trainers, you fucking trainers—claim to train, but the moment you’ll lay eyes on a strong Pokémon, all your waking senses do down the drain. You don’t give a rattata’s ass to what happens to them. Tell me, trainer who came to train, how would you feel if I snatched you away from your family, huh? Do you feel excited or pleased? That’s what you do to these poor creatures. I shall not entertain such injustice under my watch. There, I just told you why. Now Fuck Off!”

“But we are—”

“I’ve heard enough ifs and buts for a lifetime. This is the last place left for these Pokémon to live in peace. As long as I breathe, I shall not have you ruin it.”

The old man certainly had a valid argument. Pokémon indeed have families and emotions like humans, but Ash would never commit such a devious act of separating a family. In fact, most of the Pokémon in his team either joined him on their own accord, or he caught them only after gaining their approval, but he didn’t think the man would believe in him. He was also inclined to tell him that Mew sent him here, but that story would seem too farfetched, especially to the ears of a stranger, besides that was a closed route since Mew particularly forbid him from revealing anything.

As Ash racked his mind for an ideal reply, a brilliant idea struck him which could probably please both parties. “How about this: Let me stay here and train, if you ever feel I came here to do what _you_ think I’m here for, I’ll accept any punishment. Sounds fair?”

The old man stroked his beard as he thought about Ash’s proposal. After a few minutes of silence, he said, “okay.” The island Pokémon blew trumpets in protest, but the old man hushed them with a single gesture. “Silence! I’ve made my choice—the boy stays; any questions?”

The island Pokémon stood in silence.

“I shall authorize you to train here,” the man said.

“All right!” Ash pumped his fist.

“Too quick to celebrate, are we? I’ll have you know, you’ll need to abide by two conditions, should you wish to stay here, agreed?”

 _Not this again_. First was his mom and now this man, but did he have a choice? “What are they?”

“You are forbidden from capturing any Pokémon on this island. Venusaur here shall supervise your operations.” The man glanced at Venusaur who was glowering at Ash. “One sly move, and me kicking you out should be your last worry.”

Ash gulped. “I understand. I won’t catch any Pokémon here.”

“Good. Now for the second condition: you shall not battle any Pokémon unless they are willing to. Assuming that you claim to be who you are, you should be fine. Do I have your consent on these arrangements?”

“Yes.” They weren’t any stipulations Ash was uncomfortable with anyway, so he pounced on the licensed window. “I have one question though.”

“Speak.”

“What’s your name and why are you here?”

“You said one question. You can call me G,” he said and trudged back into the forest through the path he came from. Considering the matter resolved, the island Pokémon but Venusaur dispersed.

“Phew!” Ash sighed in relief. “That was one landing, right, buddy?”

 **“Yeah, but you’ve got one more thing to worry.”** Pikachu tugged Ash’s pants. He pointed towards the glaring contest between Charizard and Venusaur. They were ready for a full-on war by the way they snarled at each other.

“Knock it off, Charizard,” Ash said. “Venusaur is just doing his job. Why don’t we call everyone out and start setting camp?”

Charizard quit his contest and joined Ash while Venusaur took a spot under a large tree.

Ash took his Pokéballs out of his bag and hurled them in air. “Come on out, everybody.”

All his Pokémon materialized out with their respective battle cries, but instead of leaping straight at Ash like usual, they took their time to take in their new surroundings which potentially is their new home for a while.

“How do you like it, guys? Just like how you imagined?” Ash asked his team.

His Pokémon replied in happy cheers. The location was perfect for their training regime. There was enough space to rest and probably have three simultaneous battles. There was a pond nearby and all the trees around them had hundreds of ripe fruits and berries growing. They couldn’t ask for more. Now all they required were some tough Pokémon to train against and hopefully another meeting with Mew to learn the real reason they were here.

 **“Why is he staring at us, Ash?”** Bulbasaur pointed at the grimacing Venusaur.

Before Ash could reply, Pikachu jumped to the task. **“Huddle up. I’ll tell you the whole story.”** He then narrated the entire incident with the old man and the deal he struck with Ash. Needless to say, none were happy about it, but since they were the intruders here, they had their hand tied. 

“Alright, guys, since it’s already getting dark, we better set camp and fire before it’s late. I need four volunteers to set up the tent and gather firewood, who is up for it?”

Bulbasaur, Quilava, Primeape and Pikachu came forward.

“Alright, the rest may go and explore the island, but don’t go too far and be back before dusk.”

His Pokémon nodded and headed in different directions for their explorations while Pidgeot and Charizard took the sky.

* * *

Venusaur’s nostrils flared. The transpired events agitated him to a point where he wanted to go on a destruction spree. This mysterious kid comes from nowhere and claims to train. That was the same story every human who came here gave (except G), but the moment they found the rare and strong Pokémon they were primarily after, they reveal their true colors. It wasn’t too long ago that he and his group fended off a bunch of Pokémon smugglers. Venusaur was convinced this was the same movie again, but this time only with a different cast. Not in a million years would he let any harm to the Pokémon on this island. It shouldn’t be long before this kid slips up and breaks G’s conditions, and when that happens Venusaur would be standing right there smirking at these uninvited pests. He just had to wait.

He kept his eyes glued to the boy and his two Pokémon. He just ended his glaring contest with that Charizard of his and now they seem to be having a discussion, probably plotting their next move.

The boy then released all his Pokémon to show his might. Venusaur’s mouth almost fell open. Every Pokémon the boy owned strikingly mirrored mighty battlers, warriors one could say. He can make out. Back in his days, he partook in a handful of lethal battles himself. He can ascertain a worthy opponent when he beholds one, and this boy had more than one. Especially that Charizard of his. That beast was one of the prime reasons behind his hostility towards the boy. He couldn’t stomach seeing such a strong Pokémon under that kid’s control. He probably uses such powerful Pokémon to terrorize and poach, it was a disgrace. There was no way that the boy raised his Charizard in a legal manner. He must have indefinitely whipped him to death as a Charmander. This boy hardly looked over fifteen, there was no other explanation. No matter what, the moment Venusaur laid eyes on that beast, his heart raced for one last rumble. His battling days might have been over, but every fighter has one last fight left in him. For some inexplicable reason he wanted it to be against that Charizard.

The boy had a total of thirteen Pokémon. Keeping a watch on each one of them wouldn’t be possible for him alone. He’d have to appoint a few Pokémon to shadow all of them. He’d need the strong ones too; this kid’s team wasn’t a joke. He couldn’t take any chances.

“Pikachu and Quilava, I want you both to collect fire wood. Primeape, why don’t you go fetch some water. Bulbasaur and I will handle the tent.”

The Boy’s Pokémon nodded and got to work. Pikachu used his Iron Tail on the nearby trees to chop them while Quilava used her Swift attack to achieve the same. Once they gathered enough logs, Quilava used her flamethrower to char them. Great idea, Venusaur must say, there was no need to search for dried tree trunks (Please do not try this at home. It is un-environment friendly and not backed by any evidence). On the other side, Bulbasaur and the boy struggled miserably with the tent. Despite having a guiding manual and Bulbasaur’s additional assistance, he was unable to set up a small tent. This boy was worse than Venusaur thought.

An hour has passed. The sun commenced its delayed dip down the horizon and made way for a splendid twilight. The copper hues bounced off the creamy clouds and stole the shades of the day until it tainted the charcoal painting of a world with sepia. The Raven-haired trainer prepared his dinner while his four assistants sat near the tent and drooled at the cooking pot.

“Hey, Bulbasaur, why don’t you send the others a small signal. I told them to be back soon, but as you know, telling once isn’t enough,” Ash said as he stirred the boiling pot. There was a decent sized camp-fire burning the darkness around him while he cooked his food over a temporary stove that he set up.

**“Sorry, Ash, the sun is almost down. I won’t be able to use my solar beam. Maybe Pikachu can do something.”**

Pikachu jumped to his feet. With a vociferous battle cry, he launched a robust Thunderbolt into air. The attack was so dominant that it scared away most Pokémon within a hundred yards around. **“There, all done. Now can you get back to cooking, please? I’m starving here,”** he said and sat down as if he did nothing, but stretch his arms. Venusaur’s doubts were right, these Pokémon weren’t normally raised. Their strengths were far beyond average. He had to remain vigilant.

“Won’t be long now. I just need to add Brock’s special spice mix and boil it for a few more minutes and it’ll be done,” he said and added two scoops of a reddish-brown powder to the pot.

As the boy mixed the powder, an enticing aroma gradually spread out. As far as Venusaur’s judgement went, he had never inhaled such a complex flavor from any food. It had the correct spice to titillate one’s nostrils while still not overwhelming the other mild ingredients. It was like walking through rich spice plantation which grew every variety known to the world. It nearly drew him towards it, but he resisted his urge and continued to watch over the unwanted visitors.

One by one the boy’s Pokémon returned and Bulbasaur laid out their food bowls in front of them. Their interaction while they waited for their trainer was quite amusing. From the little Venusaur witnessed, he classified the team under three groups. The first was the mischievous trio Squirtle, Totodile, and Pikachu—they were the most talkative and the noisiest of all. Totodile and Pikachu banged their food bowls on the ground and yelled at their trainer to hurry up. Squirtle snapped a twig into two and used his upturned bowl as a drum kit. These three seriously needed some strict discipline.

The next was the I-Don’t-Care group of Bulbasaur, Bayleef, Quilava, Tauros, Primeape and Heracross. They were the least bothered and kept their business to themselves. Though Bayleef and Heracross had creepy habit of staring at that Sceptile and Bulbasaur, but other than that they were pretty much quiet. Venusaur could discern the lust in Bayleef’s stare, but he couldn’t put his vine behind Heracross’s.

The last group was of the three largest Pokémon. They looked deadly and had numerous battle scars to substantiate their might. They were the ones Venusaur had to keep a close watch on. Overall, they were a well-trained and competent team and despite their diverse personalities, a common element of trust and loyalty towards their trainer floated among them. It wasn’t an emotion developed through fear, but was something carefully crafted through years of friendship. Venusaur’s bitter past gave him the experience to distinguish the two and he does it rather effortlessly. He couldn’t be surer that the bonds between the visitors was genuine. However, he still wasn’t convinced that the boy’s intentions were pure. It was simply impossible for him to digest that fact given his experiences with humans.

“And done!” the boy exclaimed. “Bulbasaur, can you help me serve? Open that Pokémon food box and fill up the bowls.”

 **“Sure.”** Bulbasaur emptied two whole boxes judiciously into thirteen bowls while his trainer flavored the hard brown pellets with his stew. The stew’s alluring aroma only spread further.

Amidst the forests’ shadows, several Pokémon peeped through the meanders of the tree branches. Curious eyes, greedy eyes, and hungry eyes—the stew’s fragrance magnetized all. It wasn’t too often that cooked food was exposed to their noses. The only occasional visitors were poachers and smugglers and the only human on the island, G, preferred fruits and berries. A few Zigzagoons and Nidorans followed the scent, reaching the camp perimeters. Venusaur tried to shoo them before the boy noticed, but he was too late.

“Why don’t you guys join us? I made enough food for everyone.”

The Pokémon turned their heads to Venusaur for permission. This was a tough dilemma for him—allowing them could make his side weak and might stand in the way when they need to fight against these intruders. Denying them a once in a lifetime meal would make him a bad leader. Perhaps he could loosen up a bit, it wouldn’t do much harm. When time comes, his special anti-poacher team would be enough of a match against them. It shouldn’t take the entire island to beat a young kid and his Pokémon, howsoever strong they may seem. With that decided, Venusaur nodded in approval.

In no less than a few minutes the boy’s camp turned into a feast for about fifty Pokémon. His Quilava went ahead and lit up more camp fires. His Pokémon made additional plates with leaves for the island inhabitants. The interesting fact Venusaur noted was that the boy remained delightful the whole time he shared his food, not a second did he drop his smile. He either was a consummate actor, or he was a genuinely kind person.

Soon the feast turned into a party, and in the party, they sang and danced. Bayleef used her aromatherapy on the water Primeape fetched and concocted a nutritious drink. Some Pokémon acted drunk on drinking it while the rest enjoyed its rich taste. Squirtle and Totodile were the star performers of the party. Their Water gymnastics and acrobatic skills attracted all the eyes present there.

Venusaur’s lips drew a small smile. The island Pokémon were never this happy and cheerful before. He never even knew some of them could sing and dance. Their filled stomachs and satisfied looks on their faces brought a strange thought to his mind. **_Having him might not be so bad. He didn’t show one sign of threat and didn’t seem like he will either. Not only his team, but all Pokémon love him and he loved them back. There is no way came here to cause harm._**

Venusaur shook his head vehemently. He should follow his head and not his heart while judging the boy. Tonight, he offered food. Tomorrow, after gaining trust, he may mix something in that and offer. He can’t take things by their face value. He must study the boy even further and figure out his ploy.

“Hey, Venusaur, I noticed you haven’t eaten anything. Why don’t you try some of this? Your friends seem to like it,” the boy approached and offered Venusaur a food bowl.

Venusaur gaped at Ash. The boy clearly knew his dislike towards him staying. In fact, his first instinct was to kill him. Additionally, he was the one recruited to surveil him. The boy could be kind to anybody but him, yet here he was, offering Venusaur food. Did this kid have any sense of self-pride? Assuming what the boy said was true and Venusaur was in the boy’s shoes, there was no way he was going to be kind to anyone who wanted to kill him. Such generosity never existed and shouldn’t. **“Why?”**

“What do you mean why? Everybody ate, aren’t you hungry?”

**“I-I am, but you know that I don’t like you. I also suggested to kill you before, so why feed me?”**

“You did what you did only to defend this place against poachers. I don’t blame you. I know how evil poachers can be and how it feels when you are responsible for something and want to protect it.”

**“You only feel responsible towards things you love, and I love this island.”**

“Yeah, but sometimes you’re given no choice,” the boy gazed into the starlit sky. He shook his head. “You should eat before the food gets cold, that’s when it tastes the best,” he grinned.

Venusaur nodded and took a bite from the food. It was delicious. Each flavor complimented one another. Every bite was filling and carried a blast of mixed tastes. **“You’re a good cook. This is the best food I’ve ever had.”**

The boy grinned sheepishly and treaded a finger under his nose. Someone quickly needed to train him to take a compliment. “I just know to make this one dish and it’s this tasty only because of my friend’s special seasoning that I added.” 

**“I see. Well, just keep this in mind: giving me food does not make us friends. You do any mischief; I won’t show you an ounce of mercy.”**

The boy gulped. “I-I understand, Venusaur. I promise to not to do anything you don’t like.”

**“Time will reveal the true weight of your words.”**

“You won’t be disappointed.” He sat down on the dusty leaves. “So, how long have you lived on this island?”

 **“Huh?”** He’s trying to have a talk? Well, it’s better than sitting idly. Maybe this way, Venusaur can also learn more about him. **“I don’t know exactly; it’s been about seven-eight years maybe.”**

“What about G? How long has _he_ been here?”

**“He-he, good try. You’re not getting any information about G from me.”**

“Alright, alright, I won’t ask, but tell me this: how often do you face poachers here?”

**“Assumption Island’s Pokémon are some of the most sought after in black market. You probably know that already.”**

“Honestly, I don’t.” The boy supported his head with his clasped hands. “I never heard this island until a few weeks ago.”

This was confusing to Venusaur. If this boy never knew of Assumption before, then why risk coming to such a dangerous place? Poachers planned for weeks in advance before they came here and they usually came in armies. They either attacked together or send one person, who usually arrived claiming to find medicinal herbs or rare berries or some other excuse like training. Later, when the Pokémon are vulnerable, his friends appeared and they strike together. Whatever the approach, they had a solid preparation before. This boy didn’t fit any of those categories. **“Then why come here?”**

“I was told this place has strong Pokémon and training against them can help me achieve my goal of becoming a Pokémon Master,” he thrust his fist into the air.

Venusaur chuckled to himself. He met many humans in his time, but never a teenager with childish dreams. **“You know that title doesn’t exist, right?”**

“Yeah, I know,” the boy slumped his shoulders. “I was very disappointed when I found out, but that does not mean I can’t keep trying, right? I just won’t give up until the end.”

**“Even when there is no goal?”**

“That’s what makes it so much fun. You don’t know when or where to stop. There is always someone better than you. I want to give it my all and defeat everyone until there is no one left to defeat. Then, who knows, maybe I’ll be the first Pokémon Master.”

**“So, you think being the strongest trainer will make you a Pokémon Master?”**

“No, the journey towards it will. The experiences I have and the bonds I will form are what will make me a Pokémon Master. I just can’t wait to explore everything there is.”

Venusaur paused to examine this boy; he was interesting. However absurd his dream may seem; he did deserve credit for his determination. He took a fantasy from his childhood and hammered a solution to achieve it. When he said that his journey will make him a Pokémon Master, Venusaur’s adrenalin spiked. That was the best thing he had ever heard form a human’s mouth. This boy diverged from every ideal an average human preached. He found his own calling and forged his own path. Venusaur, within his mind, gave him a standing applause. **“Shouldn’t you be on your way taking part in leagues and tournaments then? Your time is valuable. You’re wasting it here. Pokémon here are strong, I agree, but what good will it do if you don’t gain the experiences you talk of? You don’t want to be stuck in one place.”**

“I can’t say anything more than what I already said, but I promise you this: I’m not here to hurt anyone. I’d never do that. I’ll even help you fight against the poachers—”

A green vine from behind tapped on the boy’s shoulder interrupting him.

 **“Ash, we are done with the cleaning, you can come and pack everything** ,” the boy’s Bulbasaur said. This tiny fellow had quite an enigmatic personality. All the Pokémon the boy owned were open books, but a few were tough to get a read on—Bulbasaur was one of those frontrunners. He seemed like someone who always had an ace up his vine, the ‘mon with a plan at all times.

“Sorry, Venusaur, I need to go. It was good talking to you though,” the boy said as he stood up. “You can leave the bowl there after you’re done. Bulbasaur will collect it. Bye.” He ran to his camp.

 **“Getting to know my trainer, big brother? I can call you that, right? Since we’re practically the same family?”** Bulbasaur tilted his head.

 **“I guess you can and no. Your trainer and I were just talking about food.”** After all, Venusaur didn’t want his opponent’s team to know of his objectives. Giving them his game plan would be, as much of a betrayal to Gold’s trust as neglecting his given duties.

 **“Right,”** Bulbasaur deadpanned. He didn’t seem to buy Venusaur’s lie. **“Can I ask you something?”**

**“What is it?”**

**“How did it feel when you evolved? You must have lost all that speed and agility you had as a Bulbasaur. All that training must have been to waste. Didn’t that effect you?”**

**“It did for a while, but I had more power and defenses than I ever had as a Bulbasaur. I came to terms with that fact. Besides, there was no way back. My evolution gradually grew on me.”**

**“I’d never choose power over speed,”** Bulbasaur said. **“What good is power if you can’t connect an attack. If you’re fast, you can dodge and attack, but with you being this big, dodging is nearly impossible. You are bound to take the hit.”**

 **“Heh, you won’t have that opportunity for too long, kid,”** Venusaur peeped at Bulbasaur’s bulb. It was larger than a usual Bulbasaur’s. **“Very soon, you’ll evolve. You’ll know what I mean.”**

**“I know you said that because of my bulb’s size, but I’ll have you know that I had it this big for over three years. I came close to evolution many times. I just never let it complete.”**

**“Wait until your trainer finds a leaf stone, then talk. There are hundreds of those on this island. He’ll find one in less than a week.”**

**“Ash has been carrying one for the last two years,”** Bulbasaur smirked.

 **“And he didn’t evolve you yet?”** Venusaur exclaimed. Back in his day, Venusaur’s trainer had evolved him into a Venusaur through a leaf stone. After his first evolution into an Ivyasaur, his new heavy body cost him plenty of battles. To fight fire with fire, his trainer forced his last evolution and trained him. Whether it was his fear of his trainer or his enhanced stats, Venusaur never complained. He could withstand and deal twice the damage he could as an Ivyasaur. So, when Bulbasaur said that his trainer never used the leaf stone he had, his thoughts froze. He stared at Bulbasaur with wide eyes. The news was like the emergency red signal of a destructive storm to a snoozing ship captain. Till now Bulbasaur had Venusaur’s curiosity, but now he had his attention.

**“Ash never does anything we don’t like. I told him I wanted to be strong as a Bulbasaur and not evolve. He agreed at the drop of a hat and never forced me. Even Pikachu there has the same story. Ash received a thunder stone five years ago, but he never used it too. Not only that, he released Pidgeot for nearly a year so that she could protect a Pidgey flock. He allowed Squirtle to join a fire-fighting group. Let Primeape and Charizard train somewhere else to achieve their goals. Released his first catch, Butterfree and Lapras to let them unite with their families. I have a hundred other stories where Ash went out of his way and helped Pokémon he didn’t know. I doubt you would believe any.”**

Venusaur’s skin tingled as he listened to Bulbasaur. It was truly inspiring what the boy, Ash did. He may not be lying after all, but that did not mean he could believe him in one evening. He’ll take his time to know him better. In time, he’ll give a report to G and decide what to do. However, there was no way this kid or his Pokémon can know of his scheme. **“How can I? No human comes here to train, they only come to poach. But…”** Venusaur glanced at the boy petting a Skitty. **“Your trainer seems different. I almost want to believe him.”**

**“You will. That’s how he his. He’s the best trainer I could ever ask for. He promised to train me into a Bulbasaur who can best a Venusaur.”**

It was then that Venusaur had a brilliant idea to beat two stones with one stick. He can repay the boy’s kindness towards the island Pokémon and simultaneously keep an eye on him. He cleared his throat and asked, **“you said you’re all here to train, am I correct?”**

**“Yes, why?”**

**“Then, how would you like it if I trained you? I want to return your trainer’s favor of feeding us. I have enough experience with battles and strategies to teach you. There was a time when I fought against Champions’ and Elite Fours’ Pokémon.”**

**“Woah! Did you win any?”**

**“Few, but I certainly gave all a tough fight. So, what do you say to my offer? You can confirm with your trainer if you want.”**

**“No, that’s all right. Ash won’t mind. I’ll be happy to train under you, big brother.”**

**“Okay, we’ll meet tomorrow at sunrise right here then.”**

**“Perfect.”**

Venusaur moseyed into the forest. As he moved, a bubble burst in his head. He turned back towards a grinning Bulbasaur. **“This was your plan all along, wasn’t it?”**

**“What plan?”**

**“Don’t lie! I saw you sizing me up before. You called your trainer to do something so trivial, you could have done it in your sleep. You told me your trainer’s entire story and brought up about evolution even when I never asked. You knew I would offer to train you, didn’t you?”**

**“What better way to prove we are here to do what we said we are here for?”** Bulbasaur winked.

Yeah, he was the ‘mon with a plan alright. **“You might be okay after all. Heh, see you tomorrow, kid.”** Venusaur left the area.

* * *


	3. Bonds and Acquaintances

**“Is that all you got?”** Primeape mocked as he bounced on his toes, taunting Ash to make a move on him.

“Argh!” Ash groaned and shook his head as his wild idea of beating Primeape in a no-moves boxing match came alive. A destructive punch called _reality_ had jabbed him in the face and was on ground ever since. He pushed himself up and dusted his vest. “Not…yet,” he panted and fastened his hand wrap. “I’ll land at least one punch before I’m completely down.”

**“Bring it on.”**

“Here I come!” Ash lunged towards Primeape’s forehead. Primeape had seen it coming and blocked it with his left arm. Ash instantly went in for a body punch to Primeape’s right, but the fighting-type was too quick for him—he blocked that too. He tried to sweep Primeape’s legs, but the Pig Monkey Pokémon had other plans. He grabbed his trainer’s wrists, pushed himself up, and leaped, summersaulting over Ash. He drop-kicked his trainer’s head in the back.

Ash crashed his face to the ground. Primeape landed on his elbow. **“KO!”**

Ash lay motionless, the time moving at a glacial pace. The world was like a colorful visual through a kaleidoscope and his ears buzzed a high pitch noise. His skin turned extra sensitive, but couldn’t feel a thing. He was pummeled to a realm far away from reality.

Primeape rushed to Ash and shook him. **“Ash! Ash, you okay?”**

“Whhahah…” he spoke in gibberish.

Primeape quickly fetched some water and splashed it on Ash’s face.

Ash gasped. He checked his whereabouts. “Wh-what happened?” The last thing he remembered was Primeape blocking his punches, next he saw something colorful.

Primeape stood, helped Ash to his feet, walking him to the camp. **“Know your limits, Ash. Please don’t try this again, not with me or anyone else.”**

Ash lowered his head as he sat. “Alright, I won’t.”

 **“Good. Now take some rest while I go challenge that Machamp again. We both won twice each, now it time for the decider.”** Primeape ran into the forest.

Ash rested against a chopped tree trunk he had turned into a sofa on his second day here. A whole week had passed, yet the reason for his visit here was unclear. Mew had told him to train under difficult conditions and get stronger. While his Pokémon were on that track, Ash however found himself before a roadblock. His Pokémon either trained against the island inhabitants or followed the self-training regime Ash had devised, whereas Ash didn’t know what to do. His daily routine started with preparation of food for the day followed by him checking on his Pokémon’s training. This consumed most of the precious daylight. The evenings were reserved for spending time with each other or befriending the island Pokémon. The monotonous cycle repeated itself each day.

Unable to take his unproductiveness, Ash decided to train his body instead. He used the images of fitness equipment he recollected through memory and created a mobile gym. With sticks and stones, he made his dumbbells and curl rods. Rope and rocks for a leg press machine. The strong branches as a pull-up bar. Despite all this, he had no knowledge of what he was doing. He thought of working on his aura, presuming that’s what Mew wanted him to train, but Lucario’s words rang like a heavenly bell in his head: _“Aura in a human shall remain dormant until that body attains the appropriate age. If you try forcing it out without proper supervision, beware for your life shall be at stake.”_ Ash didn’t want to die so soon. He had many things left to do in life. His promise to Serena which he left unfulfilled, the battle against his uncle he eagerly awaited, and maybe even saving the world a few more times. Therefore, the only alternative he found was to train against his own Pokémon and evidently, that wasn’t too brilliant either. It was frustrating to sit idle and wait for Mew to come with further instructions, which again was a giant question mark. He was in the same boat as a farmer who sowed his seeds and waited for the rain, unguaranteed promises were the only lifeline. If only there was someone to train him in some form of combat or better yet, in aura.

He slipped his body down until his make-shift sofa turned into a pillow suitable for a Snorlax. He took his cap off and placed it on his chest and watched the milky clouds drift across the morning sky. As each of those chalky cotton candies passed, Ash noticed their faint resemblances. One of the clouds looked like a Kingler flipping pancakes with a spatula. One was a Bellossom using Magical Leaf while nibbling on a cookie. A twin cloud resembled a battle between an Onix and a Rhyhorn where the former wrapped the latter in a Bind attack. Ash found this amusing and carried on solving the puzzles, and as he did, his imagination too elevated and went wild.

“That’s a Blastoise taking a shower for sure. That shower brush in his hand has no bristles on it, ha-ha-ha. This is so much fun.”

The next puzzle appeared.

“Woah! Awesome!” It was Mew with a sword in her hand. According to Ash’s imagination, the sword had an antique designed handle and a sparkling blade. “I want one like that.”

“Like what?” the forest behind him spoke.

The hair on Ash’s arms lifted. “Wh-who is that?”

“G!” his scepter’s thump synchronized with his voice.

Ash got up and welcomed G. “How long you were listening?”

“Long enough to hear you want something. If I may ask, what is it? You’ve got me curious.”

“Oh, that,” Ash chuckled foolishly. “It was a sword I made up in my imagination. He-he.”

“Hmmm, you’re into swordplay too?”

“Nope, never held one in my life. I just find them cool in movies and TV. The way the heroes spin it looks amazing. Anyways, why are you here, G? Did I do something wrong?”

“No, I have,” G said and sat on the log Ash previously rested against. Ash occupied the spot beside him.

“What? What did you do that is so wrong?”

“Venusaur gave me a report last night. While I can’t understand him exactly like you do, I did gain a brief gist. We both are thoroughly convinced that you’re not a poacher, you can’t be one. I hope you accept our sincere apologizes for antagonizing you when you arrived.”

“No, G, you don’t have to apologize. I can understand why you couldn’t trust me. I probably would have done the same if I were you. Venusaur told me how often you face poachers here.”

“Hmm,” G scratched his chin. “You remind me a lot of someone I knew. The same love for Pokémon, you talk alike, and surprisingly you both have similar appearances—”

“Is he your friend?”

“No, my Protégé,” Gold gazed into the sky. “A fine trainer he was. I couldn’t be prouder of him.”

“I’d love to meet him. Where is he now? Maybe I’ll run into him sometime during my travels.”

“You won’t. He—” G paused and looked down with sorrowful eyes. “Isn’t alive anymore. He passed away many years ago.”

“Oh, I’m sorry, G. I know how it is to lose someone important,” Ash faltered.

“I have weird suspicion,” G muttered as he stroked his snowy beard. He squinted his eyes. “What’s your full name, kid?”

“Ash Ketchum.”

Gold twitched his neck, rising to his feet. “Red Ketchum your dad?”

“Yeah, you knew him too?”

“I had a feeling you were his son.” G shut his eyes and chuckled. “Knew him? I made him.”

“You mean, your Protégé—” 

“Yes; is your dad.”

Ash slapped his hands against his cheeks and jumped to his toes. “Then you must be Gold!”

“You’re right,” Gold flicked his scepter to his other hand and banged it on the ground. A gentle breeze choregraphed a mild dance of fallen leaves around his legs. “I’m Gold Vulcano!”

Ash’s heart froze and then it pounded. In front of him stood none but the legendary trainer who went missing many years ago. His genius in battle strategies and hand combat was practically unparalleled to such extent that many considered him as a prodigy who is born once in a hundred years. His disappearance was one of the biggest unsolved mysteries of the modern world. Several conspiracy theories had cropped up explaining it. The most popular and believed was that he passed away due to old age and the authorities kept it concealed to avoid any large-scale pandemonium. He was an inspiration to several generations of trainers and has remained adulated in many households even today. It was said that there wasn’t any league or tournament Gold hadn’t conquered and he did it all before he even touched thirty. He held the World Champion title for nearly two decades before he decided to call quits, after which he took Red Ketchum as his apprentice. Ash had a vivid recollection of his dad mentioning how he owed all his success to his master and if there was anyone worthy of a title like Pokémon Master, it was Gold. In fact, it was that particular conversation which stirred Ash’s resolve to become a Pokémon Master. Ash got down on his knee and bowed. “It’s an honor to meet you, Master Gold.”

Gold smiled. He placed his hand on Ash’s shoulder and stared at him. “It’s good seeing Red’s son all grown up into a fine young man.”

“I can’t believe you’re still alive. The whole world thinks you’re dead. Wait until uncle Lance hears this, he’ll be so happy to see you again.”

“No! nobody can know of my existence.”

Ash flinched, confused. Gold was arguably the greatest Pokémon trainer the world ever came across. He had everything to his name: achievements, fame, respect, everything, then why did he want to stay hidden? Ash could not think of one valid reason. “But why? Why do you want me to lie about you? Why don’t you come back?” Ash asked.

Gold chuckled knowingly as if he expected that question. “Too much of a talent can sometimes turn on itself. There are some things I’d like to keep private. But to summarize: I cannot go back. It’s better for the world not knowing of my presence. I hope I can trust you with my secret.”

Everyone had their own secrets; Ash knew that better than anybody. “Okay, if you insist. I won’t tell anybody about you,” Ash said. “But—I want something in return.”

“Why yes, of course. What do you want?”

Ash grinned and pointed a provocative finger at Gold. “I challenge you to a Pokémon Battle!”

* * *

Gold tossed and turned on his make-shift bed in his cave. The night was unusually chilly and the frosty winds repeatedly assailed his soles. He curled his body and pulled his feet inside his blanket. It was close to the bewitching hour—the moon was at its peak of its flamboyance.

Gold was a man who was annoyingly disciplined, yet tonight, his eyes couldn’t taste sleep. His mind revolved around thoughts he never had to have. It’s been two weeks since he rejected the challenge Ash threw at him and same two weeks since that brat wouldn’t stop pestering him for one. Gold’s heart did have a small itch to test his late protégé’s son’s fortitude, but he was bound by a word he couldn’t cross. Ash’s persistence however, reminded him so much of Red who had the same adamance.

Back in his day, Red pestered him for months before he accepted to train him. It was like déjà vu—only difference: this time it was a younger and a more annoying Red. In terms of ability to get under one’s skin, Ash was miles ahead of his dad. If Red was a drama queen, Ash was his dad on steroids. Red was at least aware of his boundaries, but Ash and that little mouse of his questioned the existence of boundaries. They popped up every day with a different excuse each time. Every conversation had a different beginning but the same ending. They once went as far as claiming that Pikachu suffered form a serious chronic illness which required strong battles against opponents as a cure. He was like that mild toothache which kept reminding you of its presence, but never demanded any immediate attention.

Gold chuckled. It’s been decades since he witnessed such antics. Even though the dosage was high, it did bring back many pleasant memories. He turned around and looked outside his cave—the night sky was like a glittery shroud of malevolence. The moon stressed its luster and illuminated his cave’s entrance through the crevices of a giant palm tree. He stared at it till the light blurred, covering his eyes entirely. His eyes countered it with darkness, and he gradually fell asleep.

 **“Wakkie, wakkie,”** the echo of a cute voice giggled in Gold’s ears. It was sweet and measured precisely enough to put someone in a hypnotic trance.

Gold groggily woke up and rubbed his eyes. His cave was lit in pink. He raised his head to the levitating image of the legendary, Mew.

“Lay-lay-Lady Mew!” Gold shot up from his bed. He bowed his head. “It’s been a while since you graced me with your presence.”

Mew hovered close to Gold’s and glared into his eyes with puffed cheeks. **“Don’t call me lady. I’m still a young girl,”** she struck a photogenic pose.

“Of course, you are. My apologies. Mew, is that okay?” Gold bowed.

Mew grinned and nodded fanatically. **“I like how you always obey me, Gold. Most of my siblings, _humph,”_** she pouted. **“They never listen to me.”**

“I’m sorry about that.”

**“Forget about those morons. I need your help with something important.”**

“Anything. Tell me how can this humble servant be of your assistance.”

**“Remember our conversation sixteen years ago?”**

Gold’s face paled. The word sixteen years ago raced his heart and shook his body like he was watching a horror show. “I-is it time already?”

**“Yes, the awakening is close by.”**

Gold tried to swallow his saliva, but his mouth was dry. He cleared his throat. “Who is it?”

**“Ash Ketchum.”**

Gold shut his eyes and calmed his nerves. He then chuckled. “Can’t say I’m surprised. He seems to have all the right attributes.”

**“Everybody to cross his path would vouch the same.”**

“How much does he know?”

**“Just that he is chosen, nothing else. I’ll gradually reveal the rest in time. He’s still a kid and not ready for the whole truth.”**

“What do you want from me then, Mew? Knowing you, you must have everything figured out.”

**“Train Ash like you did his father.”**

“You sent him here for that?”

Mew wrapped her elongated tail around Gold’s neck and giggled. **“This place isn’t much of a tourist attraction, sweetie. Of course, I sent him here for that.”**

“Pardon me, Mew. Ask me for my life, I’ll lay it down with a smile. But please don’t ask me to go back on my word.”

**“I know your principles, Gold, and I’m not asking you to break your word. I asking you to do your part in saving the world.”**

“Aren’t they one and the same?”

**“You gave me your word you’d help, and I need it now.”**

“You know I’m conflicted between two promises. I want to train the boy, I wanted to, the moment I realized who he was, but I also vowed to never enter the battlefield again. You tell me, which promise do I break?” Gold held his arms out defenselessly.

**“Over the eons, many prophecies have come and gone. While most left a significant mark in each civilization, none came close to the destruction and pain caused by the Archean Prophecy. Unless the Chosen One is trained by someone as experienced as you, he won’t be able to stand against the evil awaiting him. He and the world will perish. It’s up to you which promise you want to break, I won’t force you.”**

“Can’t really argue against the stakes of world ending, can I? I’ll start his training tomorrow.”

 **“Yay! Yay! Yay!”** Mew swam circles in air and sat on Gold’s shoulder. **“I knew you’d agree.”** She nuzzled her snout against Gold’s creased cheek.

“Ha-ha-ha, you’ve mastered the art of persuasion, how can I not? By the way, can he be made aware of this meeting and why I’m training him? I want a solid foundation of trust. It makes things easier.”

Mew withdrew with a drift. **“I can’t argue with you there, but I hope you don’t reveal any information about the prophecy or the spirits. That’s my job and I’ll decide when he should know.”**

“You have my word on that. I just have one more question.”

**“What is it?”**

“Is the boy a guardian?”

Mew grinned. **“Of the rarest blood—Draconoid clan. His powers will release in time. He’s the perfect blend of every value a Chosen One should have, I believe you’ll enjoy training him.”**

“I share the same belief.”

 **“Goodluck then, I’ll see you again,”** she said and vanished like a whisper in a crowded street.

Gold sighed. He got up from his bed with his blanket wrapped around his bare chest. He sat down before his fireplace and reignited the half-burnt wood. He stared into the wavering flame as his mind went back in time, flipping through his memories selectively.

_“The Chosen One will soon be born and when time arrives, he’ll need your help the most. Will you help, Gold?”_

_“My Lady, I swear to lay my life if need be. I’ll not let you down.”_

Gold threw another piece of wood in the fire. The flame intensified.

_“You’ll have to pay for this, Gold. What you did is unforgivable.”_

_“I accept my fault. I cannot compensate for what I’ve done, but if it means anything, I vow to never enter your lives or the battlefield again. Gold Vulcano is dead from today!”_

Gold’s face absorbed the heat from the fire. His cold body started warming up.

_“I’m Ash and you are?”_

_“The one who’ll be kicking your butts of this place…”_

_“I challenge you to a Pokémon Battle.”_

Gold smirked. “You’ve certainly got your dad’s spirit, kid. Let’s see if you inherited his heart too.”

* * *

 **“You sure you heard him right, Ash?”** Bayleef asked, stomping her feet anxiously. **“He’s still not here and** **I’m getting sick and tired of waiting.”**

“His words exactly: assemble with your team tomorrow morning, I shall meet you at your camp. We can pick up from there,” Ash said. Yesterday, Gold had suddenly appeared during his training session, interrupting. He told him about his conversation with Mew and how she wanted him to train Ash. Though Ash challenged Gold for a battle, his real intention was to impress Gold with that battle and slowly claw his way up his apprentice like his dad had done. But, when the offer to train under him came to Ash, he didn’t waste a second and pounced on it. He was glad that Mew didn’t forget about him. If not anything, she at least gave him a direction proceed.

 **“Have some patience, young one, for it is your biggest weakness,”** Tauros gave his wise words.

Bayleef pouted and turned her head away from Tauros. **“I don’t need some stupid old bull teaching me.”**

Tauros, the patient wild bull he was, simply ignored and stayed silent. It was a known fact that Bayleef was no different than stubborn brat and wouldn’t listen to none, not even Ash at times.

 **“He’s here! He’s here!”** Pikachu yelled from the top of a tree. He jumped to the ground and ran towards Ash. **“He is on his way, Venusaur is bringing him.”**

 **“Puff, that ends our waiting,”** Bayleef said with an annoyed look. Ash didn’t bother much with her, since her hysterics barely lasted a few minutes. She simply needs someone or something to distract her.

A distant shadow of Gold riding on Venusaur slowly appeared. Ash and his team ran up to them. “Morning, Master Gold.”

“Morning, son,” Gold jumped to the ground from Venusaur’s back. “Have you been waiting too long?”

“No, not too long. Shall we begin with the training? What do you want us to do?” Ash stretched his elbows. “We’re all pumped up.”

 **“Yeah, give me any task,”** Pikachu did a front flip and slammed his tail on the ground. **“I’m ready.”** Ever since he knew of Gold’s identity, a spark of determination to prove himself to the revered trainer lit inside him. Everyday, he joined Ash in his pursuit to convince Gold for a battle. He helped Ash by giving him various ideas to change Gold’s mind, but none worked.

“Ha-ha-ha, why don’t we save that energy for later and have a seat first. Let’s acquaint ourselves better, then I’ll have an idea of where to begin your training.”

Gold took a seat on a rock and leaned his scepter against it. Venusaur stood beside him. Ash sat in front of Gold while his team formed an arc behind him. Pikachu took his usual spot on his shoulder.

“Your team looks strong and healthy; how long have you been travelling?”

“Five years, master,” Ash said. He stroked Pikachu’s cheek. “I started when I turned ten with this fellow here.”

Pikachu nuzzled Ash and licked his ear.

“Err, I’d rather you not call me master. Try something else.”

Ash could call him by his name, but it didn’t sound too right since he addressed him as _son._ He wanted something more intimate, especially since he was going to spend an unknown amount of time training under him. He tapped his chin in thought.

 **“Don’t sweat, Ash. Call him, old man,”** Pikachu said. **“He’s old and he’s a man. Old man, period.”**

That was it. If Ash remembered correctly, his dad used to refer to Gold as old man. Ash nodded to Pikachu. “How about, Old man? Didn’t my dad call you the same?”

“Ha-ha-ha, brings back fond memories,” Gold laughed heartily. “That’ll work.”

“Alright then, old man, what else do you want to know about me?”

“You said you’ve been journeying for five years. State your accomplishments?”

Ash grinned. He just came off a winning streak which radically bolstered his record. “I competed in three regional leagues. One top sixteen and two top eights. I beat the Orange Champion, Drake a few years ago, but I didn’t take up that position. I was too young and had a lot more of the world to see. Recently, I beat the Kanto Battle Frontier. Brandon then offered me the youngest Frontier Brain position, but I passed that too. Apart from these I took part and won in many other tournaments and competitions. I was about to go to Kalos to compete in the league, but Mew sent me here to train with you.”

Gold stroked his beard. “Your achievements are more than impressive I must say. Your dad was twenty-two before he conquered his first Battle Frontier. I know Brandon personally, his Regis are a tough bunch, aren’t they?”

“They are, especially with their defenses. They drag every round to the dying minutes, but thanks to my Pokémon, we pulled a win,” Ash said as he glanced at his Pokémon, reminiscing their historic battle. After Squirtle’s loss against Dusclops in the first round, Brandon quickly gained the upper hand with his three aces still fresh and unchosen. It was then that his team’s three supreme forces: Sceptile, Pikachu and Charizard showed their brave hearts and brought home the victory. Sceptile took Dusclops down, but despite tough attempts was unable to keep up against Regirock’s legendary force. Pikachu then won against Regirock and managed to weaken Brandon’s Registeel. It was Charizard who overcame the might of final two legendries (Registeel and Regice) and sealed the overall win. It was the greatest match Ash had ever fought. “It was the most satisfying victory ever,” he said.

“I can understand how you feel. I felt the same after my first league victory.”

“How did you feel?”

Gold looked up into the sky. “I remember it like yesterday. Both me and my opponent were down to our last Pokémon. I had my Dragonite pitted against my opponent’s Gengar. I honestly thought I lot. Keeping up with Gengar’s tricks seemed impossible. That opponent was well prepared. He trapped Dragonite with sly moves. Dragonite fell quite a few times, but he never gave up. He woke up twice during a countdown and in the end, we secured victory. I could reminiscence every sweat we broke and every drop of blood we spilled to get there. All the tough trainings and hardships we went through appeared right before my eyes. And when I looked at Dragonite’s tired smiling face, I just had one thought—it was all worth it.”

“That’s what I’m talking about!” Ash said. Gold’s story mesmerized everyone there. Some even had watery eyes listening to such a historic win. “Is it true that after that, you won every competition you took part in?”

“Ha-ha-ha,” Gold slapped his thigh as he laughed. “That’s quite an accusation for an old man like me,” he raised an eyebrow. “Well, it’s true that I have a certain knack for winning when it came to competitions, but I did lose my fair share of battles and those are the ones that I’ll always remember.”

“Yeah, true, I remember mine as well. Winning feels amazing and all, but you learn a lot when you lose.”

“That’s quite a mature statement for someone as young as you.”

“Well, I had some amazing friends teach me.” Brock’s experience and unromantic wisdom taught Ash all the survival skills and life lessons that he required. Misty’s constant rain on his parade made him want to want to prove her wrong which led to him pushing himself even further. With the acquaintance of a walking PokéDex like Max and the experience he gained by mentoring May, together led to the trainer he was today. Not to mention the support he had from his family and the various rivals like Gary that he had.

“I’m glad you have such influences. Now, why don’t we get into the real talk? Tell me, what is your dream? Why do you train and battle?”

“Simple, I want to be a Pokémon Master.”

“Ha-ha-ha, you’ve set an endless goal for yourself, haven’t you? That's quite brave and ambitious.”

“You believe in my dream!” Ash exclaimed. Apart from his mom and friends, everyone else he had told about it dismissed it as a childish fantasy. There were plenty of instances where people he met during travels advised him not to tell others of his dream and sound like a fool. Though they had Ash’s best interests at heart, there was no way someone was telling Ash what to do. He would announce it to the world on television for all he cared. He believed in his dream and that was all that he needed.

“Of course, why wouldn't I? Everything is impossible until someone achieves it. But have you considered if you're on the right path? There isn't any official title or prize you're after, so no matter how many battles you win or what you achieve, it may not be enough.”

Ash became quiet, struggling to find the right words. He was usually asked how could he become a Pokémon Master or sometimes why he wanted to become one. He had a complete essay prepared for that line of questioning like the one he gave Venusaur on his first day here, but he had never deliberated if the path he choose was the right one. He told Venusaur with confidence that his journey towards his dream was what will make his dream come true, but the Old Man challenged his journey itself. This was an entirely new dimension he hadn’t explored yet. He swallowed and wiped the lone drop of sweat dripping down his cheek. “T-the experiences I gain by travelling and bonding with Pokémon will help me achieve it.”

“Is that enough?” Gold raised an eyebrow. There is this one look that your face makes when you have the solution to a puzzle and you’re looking at someone who is desperately trying to solve the same. You’re prepared to reveal it to that person, but you prolong it just to amuse yourself. Gold had that exact look on his face.

“I know a lot more is required to achieve my dream, but I started with the only way I know how and that is by winning battles. I believe that the experiences during my journey will teach me all I need,” Ash said. “Do you know the right path?”

“Maybe I do. Maybe I don't. Maybe there is no path. But if you ever want to live your dream, you'll have to figure it out on your own,” Gold said. “Okay, why don’t we simplify it a bit. How would you define your dream? Who would you consider a Pokémon Master?”

“The best trainer out there. It’s not just about battling or having the strongest Pokémon though, it’s something more than that. Someone who understands what Pokémon are and what Pokémon battles are.”

“What does a battle mean to you then?” Gold asked as he slowly nodded.

“They mean more than one thing to me,” Ash said. “Winning or losing aside, I love the thrill and excitement it brings to me and my Pokémon. It makes your blood pump and veins burn, and you let yourself all out there. Funny thing is that battles are also the only way I get to know a person and his Pokémon. It is through a battle that I connect with my opponent and see what he’s truly got and what kind of a person he is. I can’t read or understand people normally like most people do. I rely on battles for that. Every move my opponent makes, every word he says, his actions, reactions, all help me analyze him and read him. And when I make my move based on it, brings me closer to my Pokémon. Our trust and bond develop with every battle. Every victory is a token of our hard work and every loss is a reminder of the tough road ahead. That’s why we love battles.” His Pokémon cheered and applauded, their feelings concretely mutual. Ash calmed his team and continued, “but then there are these few rare occasions when something different happens, something which reminds me why I love battles so much,” he pondered into the sky.

“Like what?” Gold said with a slow smile building on his lips.

“Like sometimes, in the heat of the battle, I feel as if I’m connected to my Pokémon. I understand how much longer they can keep going and how strong their attacks will be. They get to know my exact plan and they move without much explanation. I keep getting tired and they keep getting stronger, as if my energy flows into them. It happens extremely rare, but when it does—that’s when I have my best battles and I know I’m up against a worthy rival. I can’t describe the feeling in words, but it’s like you’ve got this new sense in your body and some unknown source is giving you power.”

Gold had a wide knowing smile. “What you’ve experienced, son, is a unique battle phenomenon known as, the aura-bond. I haven’t crossed paths with a single person of your age who experienced this phenomenon. Guess you being the Chosen One wasn’t a mistake after all.”

“Of course, it wasn’t a mistake,” Ash said pridefully. “But what do you mean by aura-bond? Does that happen because I can use aura?”

“No, anybody can experience it, many have in fact, but not everyone knows what it is.” Gold leaned forward. “Listen, son, what I’m about to tell you has been an open secret in this world. Humans have known about it for centuries, but none were and never are patient enough to experience it.”

“Okay, this sound interesting. What is it?”

“I’m assuming you already know that the aura is the force of life?”

“Yes.”

“What you may not know is that aura is a complex pseudo force which not only is the foundation of life, but is also a key element in forming bonds.”

“So, aura is a bond force and a life force now?”

“Yes, every human and Pokémon have some amount of aura within him or her. When humans or Pokémon form close relations between their own breed, they foster a deep sense of love and care for each other. These bonds strengthen their aura and gives them confidence and will power in grave situations. This is how the support of your friends and family play a vital role in your achievements and you probably might have known how many odds you can cross with such support.”

“Woah! I never knew the reason behind this, but your right, I perform my best when my own are cheering for me.”

“Correct. Now, when these relations turn more intimate with an opposite gender, this aura transfers and develops a new life. This is the ancient science behind how babies are born.”

“Erm, old man, can we move on from this?” Ash cringed. He’s had enough of Brock’s drilling of unwanted information that he’d never want to have those conversations again, and having it with a probable octogenarian was beyond obnoxious. He’d just walk out if this topic went any further.

“Ha-ha-ha, all right, all right. Now, where were we? Ah, yes.” Gold slapped his thigh. “Now when humans and Pokémon foster these bonds of friendship and care between them, that is when the whole equation changes.”

“Meaning?”

“Miracles happen, son. Miracles happen. When the feelings between the trainer and the Pokémon match during a battle, the aura-bond occurs. It is the primary force behind Mega Evolution, Z-moves, and others. That’s why those phenomena require a strong bond as a prerequisite. The stones and devices stabilize those emotions and give a power boost. Aura-bond does the same but without any such accessories. It just requires an extremely strong bond and trust between trainer and Pokémon. More than what Mega Evolution and others require. It does not change the appearance of the Pokémon like in Mega Evolution, but the power up would be distinctly similar, sometimes more.”

“You mean, my bond with my Pokémon is why all that happened with me?”

“Yes, it is. Your bonds with your Pokémon must be at that level for aura-bond to occur. Most trainers manage to form wonderful bonds with their Pokémon, that’s how they gradually manage to understand them, but with time their bonds plateau. They either neglect their Pokémon for a new one, or they lack the heart to take a step ahead when all odds are stacked against them. Since the aura-bond is a battle phenomenon, it occurs only when the trainer and the Pokémon have synchronized emotions and are put under deep stress during a battle. However, it is impossible to achieve if the bond between the trainer and the Pokémon are weak. The state of extreme emotions, is the trigger for aura-bond and that happens only when you’re fighting against the wind, yet you still keep moving.”

“True, whenever such thing happens, it’s during the final stages of the battle when it’s down to the last cards.”

 **“Ash, remember Elite Four Bruno said something similar: the true secret behind Pokémon training is that trainers and Pokémon should care for each other,”** Pikachu said.

“Of course! How could I forget.” Ash explained his interaction with Bruno to Gold.

“Words lived by every great trainer. Did you know, there ancient scriptures which mention of Mega Evolutions without the use of a Keystone or a Megastone, but only with strong bonds.”

“Wow! That’s so awesome! I hope I would be able to do something like that one day.”

“Maybe you will, but not all Pokémon can Mega Evolve without the stones, only one in billion are born with that ability.”

“Oh shoot! You know how to ruin a moment, old man.”

“Ha-ha-ha, most Pokémon attain their pinnacle strength during the aura-bond, and depending on the trainer-Pokémon emotions, it can sometimes surpass Mega Evolution’s power. That’s rarely seen, but given your achievements, I doubt it’s rare to your eyes.”

“That’s what I’m talking about!” Ash punched his fist in his palm. “Guys, from now on we’ll work towards forming such strong bonds that no one even with a Mega Evolution can touch us.”

His Pokémon replied in enthusiastic cheers.

“Your true strength lies in the love you have for your Pokémon and your trust in them, always remember that.”

“Then what about training and strategies? Aren’t they equally important?”

“Most battle strategies require immense trust between you and your Pokémon. That’s where a strong bond comes into play. It gives all the will power required to defy the odds. When comes training, there is a certain limit to what you can do with it. After a point, the development plateaus, and will require severe efforts to move past that stage. Your Charizard for example, I can see he’s at that stage. He craves for strength yet is unable to figure out how to move past his plateau.” Gold looked into Charizard’s eyes.

Ash turned to his Flame Pokémon. “Is that true, Charizard?”

 **“Err, yes, Ash,”** Charizard scratched his snout. **“After the battle against Noland’s Articuno, I couldn’t feel myself get stronger. No matter how hard I trained, it wasn’t enough. I simply couldn’t get stronger. That’s why I was so excited when you told me of this place. I’m sorry I never told you.”**

“No, you did not thing wrong, Charizard. I should have known about this.” Ash turned and faced his Pokémon. “Guys, if any of you have any problems, whatever it might be, I want you to talk to me. I’m your trainer, I promise I’ll do everything I can to solve any problem. We’ll have a sit-down tonight and we’ll discuss this.” His Pokémon replied affirmatively. He turned back to Gold. “Is there a way I can solve Charizard’s problem?”

“We’ll need to devise a rigid training regime for that. He’ll need to forget everything that he’s learnt and start from scratch, but only at the most extreme level. It’ll be brutal, but that’s the only way.”

“Are you up for that, Charizard?”

 **“You know I am,”** Charizard grinned.

“He’s your ace, I presume?” Gold asked.

“When it comes to head on battles of strength, Charizard is equal to an army. Yes, he is my secret weapon,” Ash replied.

“He is strong and hungry for strength. I see the flawless loyalty he has towards you. I’m curious, how did you find him? Pokémon with such character are rare.”

“Charizard?” Ash asked for permission. Charizard had a dark past of Pokémon abuse, therefore Ash never told his story to anyone without seeking his Pokémon’s approval first.

Charizard nodded and approved.

Ash narrated the entire incident of his encounter with Damian and how Charmander left him. He continued and explained the change in Charizard’s behavior after evolution and how he started listening to Ash after the Poliwhirl episode in Orange Islands, and later how he joined the Charcific Valley.

“Charizard came to help me whenever I had a tough battle, but now there isn’t one Charizard in Charcific Valley that can stand up against mine, so he finished his training and rejoined my team,” Ash concluded.

“That’s one hell of a story you’ve got there,” Gold said. He locked his eyes with Charizard. “I applaud your tenacity, you should keep it up.”

Charizard bowed and accepted Gold’s praise with grace. Ash thrust his chest out and grinned. A veteran trainer like Gold praised his Pokémon, he couldn’t be prouder. He looked at Charizard with staunched eyes. _You’ll get your retribution soon, Charizard. Wait till we find him and show him your real strength and make him regret the day he left you on that rock. I promise to make this happen. I promise._

“Old man, one thing doesn’t make sense to me. If true bond has such power, why do people follow evil methods to make Pokémon strong? Why beat and torture them when the same strength or maybe more can be achieved from being kind to them?” Ash asked.

“Bonding requires time, son. Not everybody can form bonds like you do. The island Pokémon hated you for one minute and loved you the very next minute. It took you less than two days to earn Venusaur’s trust. You may be blessed with the ability to understand Pokémon, but more than that you have a born ability to befriend any Pokémon.”

“I guess it makes sense. But, hey, you still didn’t tell if I’m on the right path and what is required to be a Pokémon Master.”

“The way I see it, you'll soon find out yourself, but I’ll throw you a bone. You are indeed headed in the right direction.”

The next few hours Ash and his new master exchanged their various experiences in their journeys. Ash spoke about his various adventures, the stories of how he met each of his Pokémon, the evil organizations he took down, and some of the once-in-a-lifetime moments like the ride on Lugia. Gold shared his share of experiences, mostly his stories of Red which Ash wholeheartedly welcomed.

* * *


	4. The Whimsical Spirits

Three years have come and gone and the now eighteen-year-old Ash Ketchum stood at the edge of the island as he waited for the right time. Over the span of three years, Ash and his team underwent strenuous training under Gold. Ash himself learned a dictionary of battle techniques and improved immensely on his impromptu strategies. He learned the art of combat fighting and the use of a few weapons like spears, swords, and others. He hasn’t completely mastered all skills, but he grasped the basics thoroughly and was able to skillfully intermix them all. He vowed to use his skills only in self-defense or while protecting someone, this was a vow he would stand by till the day he lost his breath. His Pokémon too have showed tremendous improvements in all aspects, a few even evolved in this process.

Pikachu spent most of his time smashing stones with his Iron Tail. He trained his crooked tail to such extent that he once split a ninety-feet giant rock into two exact halves in a single strike. His daily races with Sceptile and Pidgeot have been fruitful and progressed his Quick Attack to the next level—he learnt Extreme Speed. It was a little different from the usual Extreme Speed, since Pikachu’s was just a modified Quick Attack. He could use both forms of attacks by altering his speed. He promised Ash to keep his new found strength under check, unless the situation demanded.

Bulbasaur’s training under Venusaur turned out a blessing in disguise for the little ‘mon, Sceptile and Bayleef. Soon after Bulbasaur began his training, he invited Sceptile too. Sceptile who was busy training on his speed unwillingly accepted, but was later pleased by his decision. He successfully learnt the move Frenzy Plant which he’s been trying to master ever since he was a Grovyle. His speed too was on par with Pikachu since he won about half of their races.

Bulbasaur’s defiance to evolve restricted him from learning many superior moves. But Venusaur and Sceptile together took it upon themselves to defy the odds. They taught Frenzy Plant to little Seed Pokémon and strengthened his other moves. Though his Frenzy Plant involved in summoning only two vines, it could be immensely beneficial in certain situations. Using the common grounds between all of them, Bayleef cleverly joined under Venusaur’s training. Her initial goal was to woo Sceptile, but it gradually evolved into get strong and impress Sceptile. She’s now a Meganium with the same personality and a boyfriend in the form of Sceptile to show for.

As a fire-fighter, Squirtle’s tiny body allowed him to enter small spaces for search and rescue missions, but after his resignation he no longer required his form. With constant training against the island Pokémon, he successfully evolved into Wartortle. Ash wasn’t confident that it was a positive thing since his misbehavior escalated and he developed a new love for destruction.

Pidgeot spent most of her time with the aerial and draconian beasts like Salamences, Dragonites, and Pokémon Ash never heard of. These were the strongest Pokémon on the island and they lived to the far side in the north. It took Pidgeot almost six months to gain acceptance among them. But when she did, she didn’t stop until destroying everyone in battles. She revamped her move pool with Heat Wave, Mirror Move and the all-powerful Sky Attack.

Despite her relentless efforts, Quilava failed to achieve evolution. However, her efforts worked their charm and advanced her fire power. She could blow flames hot enough to melt rocks in seconds.

Tauros and Primeape have found a new brotherhood and trained together most of the time. They repeatedly had double battles and honed their already present skill. Primeape’s punches were twice stronger and Tauros’s Take Down was like an earthquake.

Heracross and Totodile were the two slackers of the team. Heracross’s life dream came true with the presence of so many trees to sip sap from, while Totodile found an audience for his performances. He gained a handsome following with the island Pokémon who sometimes offered him various rare fruits and berries. Both skipped training most of the time, goofing around. However, with the little training they did, they improved on their attacks and were a definite force to account.

While it took Pidgeot six-months to again acceptance with the savage and dragon Pokémon, Charizard crushed them all during that same time. He took down all the challenges the island Pokémon threw at him, even crushing Venusaur in a battle. Then he went under Gold’s brutal training regime during which he gained a certain enlightenment and completed the course victoriously.

**“It’s time,”** Mew said as she floated towards the raven-haired trainer. **“You’re ready?”**

“I guess,” Ash said with a half shrug. His mind constantly went over the conversation he had with her a few weeks ago.

**_“Ask me what you want, Ash. It’s high time you knew the truth,”_ ** _Mew said while she floated in midair. Ash, his Pokémon, and Gold were all assembled for this so-called conference of truth. Gold was the only one who seemed to know what Mew was going to tell, but he never blurted a word in the last three years._

_“How about: why am I training here?” Ash crossed his arms and asked angrily. Apart from having that one conversation with Gold where she convinced him to train Ash, she never set tail on the island since. Ash had thought that she'd at least visit him once and explain the reason for his intensive training, but no such incident occurred. It took her three years before she showed her face to Ash._

**_“I thought I made that part clear. Gold is preparing you for the dangers you're going to face ahead.”_ **

_“What are those dangers then? I deserve to know.”_

**_“Ash, how old do you think is this planet?”_ **

_“I don’t know, maybe a million years old, but how is that related to anything?”_

**_“The earth as you call it, is over six billion years old. You’d have known if you attended school a little,”_ ** _Mew stuck her tongue out._

_“Don’t tease me, Mew. Get to the point, will you?”_

**_“Okay! You see, ever since life began on earth, about four billion years ago, humans and Pokémon co-existed together.”_ **

_“Wait, you mean humans existed along with Pokémon?” Ash always thought humans came later. The floating theory was that Pokémon existed since the beginning and Arceus created humans later._

**_“Technically Pokémon existed way before that in the earlier two billion years, but that period is a little complicated and not relevant for now. For convenience, let's assume life began with humans and Pokémon together. Now, during the first three of the four billion years, there was joy and peace everywhere. Humans and Pokémon helped each other and learned to exist in harmony. There was no evil, only love. It was a world unlike any.”_ **

_“I’d love to live at a time like that. What happened then? In the last billion years?”_

**_“The darkest day in history occurred: The Great Extinction. It changed everything. Life on this planet was reduced to dust and except for the legendary Pokémon and the few lives they saved, there was nothing left on earth. Similar to what you saw in your dream.”_ **

_“What? Was Arceus sleeping then?” Ash flared his nostrils. “Isn’t he responsible for the world?”_

**_“Don’t you dare say a word against Arceus.”_ ** _Mew tightened her expression. Ash never knew Mew could get this angry. **“W** **ho do you think saved those few lives? If not for him, this planet wouldn't have seen a single life in the last billion years. The forces that began the destruction were together far stronger than Arceus and the rest of the legendries combined. There wasn’t anything that could have been done.”**_

_“I’m sorry, Mew. I shouldn’t have said that. What are those forces though, and how are they related to me?”_

**_“Those forces are known as the Spirits of Karma. There are seven of them. They are mystical powers with the capacity to turn this whole planet into ashes. They originated as a part of a vicious curse cast on this planet. They awaken once after every ten-thousand years and choose their human masters. When they do, their energy forms into a device allowing its master/bearer to utilize its power. When fallen into the right hands, these spirits can do wonders to help and change the world and make it a better place, but most bearers get power hungry and use them to cause destruction. Over the billion years they existed, they took more than a hundred trillion lives of both humans and Pokémon.”_ **

_“What!” Ash gripped the sides of his head. “How is that possible?”_

**_“Every time they awoke, they usually swallowed an entire civilization.”_ ** _Ash’s heartbeat raced. An entire civilization swallowed? Gulp. So, this was the reason civilizations and Pokémon went extinct and not some meteorite bombings. **“However, there were times when the Chosen One with Arceus’s help stopped the spirits before they caused any major life loss.”** Ash’s heart cooled down. So, Arceus would help and together they could stop those spirits._

_“So, Arceus destroyed them already?”_

**_“They can’t be destroyed, only stopped. They reappear every ten-thousand years.”_ **

_Ash gulped again. “So, I should stop them with Arceus’s help?”_

**_“Yes, but before that, there is more you need to know. Out of the seven spirits, two of them have abnormal powers and are known as the Juggernaut Spirits. The rest five are known as the Wandering Spirits. According to the Archean Prophecy, the Chosen One, that is you will be the bearer of one of those two Juggernaut Spirits. It’ll be your responsibility to bring the five bearers of the Wandering Spirits to your side before the other Juggernaut bearer gets to them.”_ **

_“You mean, I should find those five bearers and convince them to join my side for my final battle against the other Juggernaut bearer? Am I right?”_

**_“Yatzy!”_ ** _Mew tapped Ash’s head._

_“How do you know, the other Juggernaut Spirt will choose an evil bearer, Mew? It’s possible it can choose someone good and kind, right?”_

**_“Unfortunately, that’s a part of the curse, Ash. While one of the Juggernaut Spirit joins the Chosen One, the other always goes to someone with an evil soul. And most of the time, the rest five join the evil force, leaving the Chosen One and Arceus defenseless. The clash between the two Juggernauts is inevitable.”_ **

_“Why do the bearers join the evil juggernaut? Surely Arceus and the Chosen Ones should have been able to convince at least a few to take their side. There are five wandering spirits and how is it possible that they join the other side most of the time?”_

**_“You have a good question, but the answer is simple: greed.”_ **

_“Greed?”_

**_“The bearers of the Juggernaut Spirits are chosen even before they are born. Their destiny to fight each other is written in stone even before the spirits surface. But the Wandering Sprits are different. They chose their masters after they emerge. They have no criteria or reason for choosing someone. They do it in random. They chose because they must.”_ **

_“You’re speaking in circles, Mew.”_

**_“Let me explain then, see, every average human has some amount of greed hidden in his/her heart. It may be for power, or money, or fame, or something else. No matter how kind or honest they portray, they always want something more. Of course, there are many exceptions, but their numbers are negligible. So, when such humans receive abnormal powers, their hidden ugliness surfaces. When they realize they are superior to others beings, they develop a craving for power. Their greed easily sways them into the evil route.”_ **

_“I sort of understand. I promise never to be swayed by greed. I will always defend what’s right.”_

**_“I know you will. That’s why you are the Chosen One and not someone else.”_ **

_“Thanks,” Ash said. “Hey, Mew, did Arceus and the Chosen One lose most of the time then?” He had a feeling that he asked a question whose answer he’d rather not know._

**_“I’m sorry to say this, Ash, but, yes. Most of the times, the Chosen Ones died and Arceus went back to his slumber after losing all his energy. The bearers who are left alive after the war exploit and plunder the earth and rule by their whims. Sometimes they fight among themselves and kill each other or they age and perish, after which the spirits go back to hibernation for the next ten-thousand years. Whatever maybe the case, if the Chosen One fails, eighty to ninety percent of the life will go extinct.”_ **

_Ash stood lifelessly. He was trying to assess the gravity of the situation here. He as the Chosen One held the future of millions of lives. He wins, they all would be saved. He loses, all would wither. “So, there is a high chance I’ll die in the fight and the world will be destroyed?” Ash muttered through his gritted teeth. There is a high possibility that he and Arceus would be the only ones on the right side. All Wandering Spirits’ masters may choose the evil faction. No, he could not think like that. “I won’t let that happen,” he balled his fist. Mew said there were times that Arceus and the Chosen One stopped the destruction. It could be done again. History could be repeated. The Wandering Spirit bearers could be convinced to choose the right side. “I’ll find those five bearers, join hands with them, and defeat that Juggernaut once and for all.” He stood and announced, “Mew, where can I find my Juggernaut Spirit?”_

**_“There is a catch for that. While the Wandering Spirits of Karma mobilize when united with their respective masters, the Juggernaut requires a special Keystone for the same, the Keystone of Infinity. Without that, even if the spirit embodies you, its power will remain dormant.”_ **

_“Where can I find this Keystone of Infinity?”_

**_“You don’t have to, I did it for you. We’ll go to collect it in a few weeks.”_ **

Those few weeks have passed and Mew returned to take Ash to the place where he can find the Keystone of Infinity. “Where are we going again?” Ash asked.

**“Necropolis,”** Mew replied. According to Mew, the Keystone of Infinity could be retrieved only at a certain time and it was now.

“Why can’t you or the old man come with me?” Ash asked as he scratched his chin in doubt. With Mew and Gold's help, he probably had a higher chance of finding the keystone, but Mew advised against it.

**“The keystone will reveal itself only to you,”** Mew said. **“By the way, leave Pikachu here, I want to play with him, besides non water types can't enter the place you are going.”**

“Huh?” What did a water type had to do with where he was going? Well, he would find out soon. “Is that okay with you, buddy?” he asked his faithful partner as he kneeled to his level.

**“It is, but you please be careful Ash,”** Pikachu said. He rolled his eyes towards Mew and whispered in Ash’s ear. **“I don’t trust her completely. She’s known for putting others in trouble for her amusement.”**

“Ha-ha, don't worry, Pikachu. I'll be back before you even know.” Ash walked up to Mew. “I’m ready, shall we go?”

Mew nodded and emitted a bright pink light and teleported Ash and herself.

* * *

“How is this Necropolis, Mew?” Ash asked with a pinched-up expression. He was on a small islet of dead coral surrounded by vast waters in all directions. There were other islets of both corals and sand, but none had the extravagance of the name Necropolis. “There is nothing here.”

**“He-he, this is not Necropolis, dummy,”** Mew giggled. She floated towards the ocean and pointed at the translucent waters. **“It's down there. You’ll find the keystone if you head north in this direction.”**

“Underwater?” Ash exclaimed. No wonder Mew advised to leave Pikachu behind. “How do you think I’ll breathe down there, Mew? I hope you’re not playing one of your jokes here.”

“ **Like this,”** Mew touched Ash’s head and created a pink bubble around it. Ash was mysteriously able to breathe through it. **“Now dive in quickly, I'll see you back at the island,”** she said and began floating away.

“Mew, wait!” Ash called. “How do I find the keystone and how do get back to the island?”

**“Humph,”** Mew pouted and crossed her arms. **“You’ll find it or rather it will find you, and as for you returning to the island,”** she came close to Ash and pushed her face into him, **“You’re the mighty Chosen One, aren’t you? Find your way back. You’re not too far anyway.”** She teleported.

_Guess it's just me alone then._ Ash pulled out a Pokéball from his pocket and chucked it. “I choose you, Wartortle.”

**“Haiyan!”** Wartortle materialized with a cocky grunt. **“Wassup, boss? And what’s with that fancy helmet? We’re going to some cosplay party or something?”**

“No, Wartortle,” Ash said. He explained the reason behind their presence here and how he got that pink bubble helmet. “You think you can help me out?” There was there was no way of reaching the ocean’s bottom on his own. “We’ll find the keystone there.”

**“Aye, aye, Captain,”** Wartortle saluted. He faced the ocean and tapped his shell, **“Grab on.”**

Ash latched on his water-type’s rigid shell. Once he got a solid hold, Wartortle jumped into the ocean to begin their pursuit.

An hour has elapsed since Ash and his Turtle Pokémon searched for the keystone in the ocean depths. They checked a major portion of the area Mew cited and were moving to the next part which was distinctly different from the previous plain relief. As they swam through the uneven rocks and drifting currents, Ash’s amber eyes fleeted from one lavish sight to another. A quick glance at the extensive stretch of vibrant corals sacrificing their seductive hues to the hungry breeding Pokémon, a biased symbiosis which wrecked the soul of the flashy reefs. A peek at the twisted architecture of the infinite guyots and canyons, providing the ocean with an eccentric spice of inconsistence. A glimpse towards the shoals of colorful water Pokémon which coursed along the might currents, a testimony to the abundance of life under water. All features congregated harmoniously into a kingdom of grandiose.

Heading unidirectionally, Ash and Wartortle dug their way through the dense sea weeds and passed through various sea arches and trenches. They stopped at curious juncture. A myriad of ruined fragments of stone were scattered ubiquitously. Lofty broken pillars and semi-demolished domes with slaughtered roofs fenced the entire area. The pillars had ancient writing and hieroglyphs on them while the domes had several intricate decorations over them. There were other dilapidated remnants which screamed their presence and infinite other buildings. By the elaborate and dexterous designs and patterns on the structures, it was evident that their constructions were ancient and had demanded a heavy investment of skill and time. _This must be the Necropolis Mew had mentioned._

**“Ash, over there,”** Wartortle pointed at huge pile of rock fragments. At first look, it didn’t carry any difference from the other destroyed material, but as Ash inspected further, a faint subdued glow leaked from the spaces between the rocks.

_That maybe it._ The glow wasn’t stationary, it pulsated and resonate with Ash’s heartbeat. He nodded to his Turtle Pokémon and paddled his way towards it.

As Ash and Wartortle swam towards rock pile, all the water Pokémon present there swam away from them. There was some unnatural facet to their motion, like a supernatural presence commanded their evacuation.

Ash closed his distance towards the rock pile. The glow intensified. A soft light outlined the pile and the shattered rocks vibrated. They were minor and weren’t on a scale of a catastrophe, but they soon transferred their tremors to the water currents, developing a small whirlpool around the glowing pile of rocks.

Wartortle rocketed to Ash and caught his feet. He tried to prevent him from going into what looked like a definite trap.

Ash flashed a quick smile of assurance to Wartortle. Some cryptic sensation within him pressed him to move forward and complete his mission. It was a warm and friendly feeling as if that light was calling out to him. _Mew said that the keystone will find me. Maybe it did._

Ash motioned his water-type to watch his six while he went to retrieve the keystone.

Ash was a few feet away from his destination. Intense streaks of light shot through the rock pile. It looked like it had light sabers pierced into it. The water currents around Ash also got fiercer, gradually forming into a giant vortex pulling Ash and Wartortle into the centre.

Ash and his partner circumvented the brutal waters and stood on top of the rock fragments. Circling them was a giant whirlpool. The rocks below him were energetically vibrating and the bright light through them only intensified. Ash squinted and kneeled. He placed his palm on one of the rocks under him, which may have been a big mistake.

_Blluurrrraaahh!_ The spin of the whirlpool intensified and flipped into a destructive maelstrom. It caught both Ash and Wartortle in its feral gyrations.

“Wartortle!” Ash quickly pulled out his Pokéball and tried to recall Wartortle. However due to both being in motion, he could only succeed in his fifth attempt.

No sooner did Wartortle enter his Pokéball than the maelstrom subsided. The gravity took over and hauled Ash down.

The diabolical currents lost their malice and the rocks under his feet hurled outwards. Ash shut his eyes with his hands as a bright blue blinding light spread around him. He slowly peeped through the narrow fractures between his fingers to find a small glowing orb levitate before him.

* * *

Gold stared into the setting sun as he awaited Ash’s return. Four hours have passed since Mew left him at Necropolis. He estimated that was good enough time for Ash to recover the keystone and return, but there was no sight of the Raven-haired trainer yet. To make matters worse, an hour ago, the island Pokémon went haywire. It was a clear indication of the disturbance caused to the nature’s balance. He hoped that the imbalance was due to his student’s union with the keystone and not something malign.

“Pika, pika pikachu?” Pikachu asked. He seemed discouraged and tensed. Even his ever-pointed ears were drooped to the sides.

“He’ll be fine, little one,” Gold said with a smile. “He is my apprentice after all,” he smirked a little, but however brave of a façade he might put up, he had the same fears as Pikachu within him.

“Pi,” Pikachu nodded with a weak smile.

A few minutes later, a distant silhouette flew towards the island in full throttle. Everyone instantly recognized it as Ash and his Charizard. Gold had a satisfied smile.

“Pikachu!” Pikachu jumped and cheered in jubilation.

As soon as Ash got down Charizard and stepped foot on the ground, Pikachu welcomed Ash with a leap to his face followed by his adored nuzzles. The tickles which accompanied the nuzzling cracked Ash into laughter.

“Ha-ha-ha, stop it, buddy, that tickles, ha-ha-ha,” Ash laughed as he tried to get Pikachu off his face. He did it once Pikachu felt he was down with his welcome. He then called his Charizard back into his Pokéball and went to address his teacher and Mew, while Pikachu took his usual spot on his shoulder.

“Did you find it?” Gold asked.

“Of course, I did!” Ash brought out a small spherical stone towards Gold's eyes. “It wasn't easy but with Wartortle's help I managed to find it.”

Gold took a closer peak at the said keystone. Unlike the usual keystones, this one had a faint saturation of blue in addition to its VIBGYOR hue. “This is marvelous,” he went to touch the keystone, but a feeble shock met his fingers. “ _Ouch!_ ” he jerked his hand back.

**“He-he, the Keystone of Infinity only allows it’s master to touch it, Gold,”** Mew said. **“I thought you knew that.”**

“Apologies, Mew, I should have known better.”

Ash took a closer look at his new-found keystone which was blossoming in soft blue light. “You’ll only allow me to touch you, huh? That's awesome!” he grinned. He turned to Mew. “Can I also use this for Mega Evolution, Mew?"

**“You can, it is a keystone in the end. But don't expect it to work any different from a normal one. The keystone of infinity is different only because it allows you to activate your Juggernaut Spirit of Karma, besides that, it is just an ordinary keystone. Nothing more.”** Mew explained. **“You finding it also means you have to be ready to face whatever the future throws at you, Chosen One.”**

Ash flashed a confident grin to the DNA Pokémon. He clenched his fist containing the keystone. “For protecting this world, my friends and family, and the Pokémon I love, I am ready for anything.”

* * *


	5. On Your Marks

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, but this is a long chapter.

“Why won't you come along, old man?” Ash asked glumly as he zipped his packed camping gear. The atmosphere was bleak. Ash had been feeling down the whole morning, his legs trembling at every task he did. “You don’t want to stay like this forever, do you?”

Three years have passed and it was time for Ash to leave the island. But before he took off, Ash gave a final attempt to persuade his teacher to give up his solitude and re-blend with humanity. He’s been trying for last two days, but his master wouldn’t budge.

“This is my home, son. I wish to breathe my final breath here on this island, amidst this nature and Pokémon,” Gold said. “You have nothing to be concerned about. I’m incredibly satisfied with my way of life.”

Ash sighed. His master was more adamant than those rugged trees in the woodlands. No matter how fierce the wind, they’d stay stiff and rooted to their spot. “If that’s what you wish. I can only tell you how I feel about you staying here alone.” When Ash had arrived on the island, Gold was a person Ash knew to be his dad’s master—though he didn’t appreciate a veteran trainer living on nothing, he didn’t have any standing to comment on his lifestyle at that time. But now that Gold turned not only his master, but also another father figure in Ash’s life, if he didn’t express his thoughts, their three years together would lose its meaning.

“I can understand, but my solace lies here.”

Ash shrugged “I just had to try.” He flung his backpack over his shoulders and fastened it in place. He looked around to make sure he packed everything and before he knew, it was time for his final words with the man who gave him everything. He walked up to him and stood nervously.

“This is it then, huh?” Ash said with a forced smile. He gripped the flaps of his backpack tightly to stop his fingers from shivering. Whether it was the nostalgia of moments with his master that he foresaw, or the melancholy of not seeing him again, only negative emotions circulated through him.

“It is,” Gold smiled weakly as he fiddled with the scepter in his hand.

The impatience and restlessness in Ash since last night slowly subsided. A strange dullness developed in his chest and belly. Ever since Ash had lost his dad at a young age, the absence of a father figure created a certain void in his life. For a long time, his uncle Lance and Professor Oak tried to fill in that void. But whether it was the Champion’s duties, or a professor’s workload, or Ash’s own travels for that matter, neither of the two were able to do justice to that role. It didn’t bother Ash much either since he had his head sunk deep into his dream of becoming a Pokémon Master that he never consciously yearned for such a figure. But, these three years under Gold gave him something he thought he never wanted. Besides training him Gold also filled that empty role in Ash’s life. He shared his trainer days’ stories, taught Ash important life lessons, cared for him every time he injured himself during training, and many more—things Ash would have wanted to do with his dad. So, now when it’s time for goodbye, his throat resigned from speaking. Every tissue in his body yelled at him, not to leave the old man behind. “I-I, don’t want to say goodbye,” Ash lowered his head.

Gold’s placed warm hand on Ash’s head. He had an understanding smile. It was one of those rare smiles Ash came across two or three times in his life. It engulfed or seemed to engulf all his quandaries and then cast upon him an overwhelming shadow of warmth. It understood him just as far as he wanted to be understood, believed in him as he would like to believe in himself, and assured him that it had precisely the impression of Ash that, at his best, he hoped to convey.

Gently, Gold patted Ash’s cheek. “I know,” he said with a smile. Those were just two lone words stitched together to form a sentence, but to Ash, it meant more than that. Every waking memory he spent with his master came back to him. The fun times and the tough times. The emotional times and the prideful times. All flooded his brain like a pleasant assault of falling leaves in autumn. His eyes prickled in tears, just an emotion away from shedding them.

“Please, come along, old man. You can join me on my journey. It’ll be like every day. You can teach me more things and I can even cook you my special stew.”

“Ha-ha-ha, your offer is quite tempting, should I say, but you already know my answer. I’m sorry.”

“Hmm,” Ash said solemnly.

“Ha, before I forget—I have something for you.” Gold tinkered with his scepter’s crown. He gently tugged out a small ivory orb embedded in it and placed it in Ash’s palm. “I want you to have this.”

Ash started at the souvenir he received. It was Gold’s very own keystone. “I-I cannot accept. This is yours. It represents your bond with your Pokémon; besides, I already have one.” He returned it back. Ash understood the emotion behind his master’s gift, but knowing the value of a keystone, he was never going to detach one from its real owner.

“I know you already own one, Ash. I also know what a keystone represents, but I don’t think I’ll have much use with this,” Gold glanced at the keystone. “At least with you, it can find a new home. If you don’t want to use it, then don’t. Give it to someone deserving. Someone you’d trust your own life with.” He forcefully placed the keystone back in Ash’s palms and closed his fingers. “I want you to have a token of remembrance from me and besides this keystone, I have nothing else to offer.”

In the three years, Ash trained with Gold, not once had he seen his teacher use the keystone. In fact, he never knew Gold owned one till now, since he said he released his Pokémon in the wild long ago, and Ash thought he gave up all things related to that. In a way, what his master said, made sense to a certain extent. He smiled. “I’ll keep this in your honor until I find the right person to deserve it.”

Ash dropped to his knees and bowed. “Thank you.” His mind convinced him that his gesture was to respect to the veteran trainer, but his heart knew his true intention—he didn’t want Gold to witness his rolling tears while he said his next words. “All my life I’ve been chasing after a non-existent dream. I did not know how to achieve it or what I should do to achieve it. I was under the feeling that my journeys will give teach me everything I need. I moved forward with nothing but will power and trust in my Pokémon. That was all that was required, I thought. Then you entered my life and offered to train me. The lessons you taught gave me a new understanding of what strength was. You taught me what bonds are. How a Pokémon battle is supposed to be fought. I learned things I never thought I’d learn. You gave me everything: knowledge, power, courage. You were there every time me or my Pokémon needed you. How can I ever repay you?”

After a short pause, Gold said, “get up.”

Ash discreetly used his sleeves to wipe his welled-up eyes and stood.

Gold placed his hand on Ash’s shoulder and looked into his eyes. “There may be plenty of evil in this world, but I believe it’s a very fine place, son. It’s worth fighting for. If you want to repay me, just fulfill your responsibility as the Chosen One and protect this beautiful land. I ask no more.”

Ash cleared his throat. “I promise. As long as I’m still breathing, I’ll fight. I won’t let any evil ruin this world.”

“I know you will. That’s what I expect form my beloved _protégé_.”

Ash smiled. This was the first time Gold acknowledged him by that name. He was finally in his dad’s position. He flung his thoughts aside and trotted towards his master, enveloping him in a hug and let his emotions loose. “Thanks again,” he muttered as his lips tasted his salty tears.

A second or two of surprise later, Gold reciprocated Ash’s gesture. “No, thank you for everything. I know you’ll do me proud.”

As Ash separated from his master, Pikachu entered the scene. He was with Bulbasaur and the others having their farewell with Venusaur. **“It’s time, Ash. Pidgeot told me that if we delay more, it’ll be night by the time we reach Pallet.”**

“Yeah, buddy. Return everybody in their Pokéballs. I’ll join you’ll in a minute.”

Pikachu left to do as instructed.

“I’ll definitely miss you, old man.”

“So will I. Your true strength lies in your character, son. You’ve been the same for three years. Remain the same. Never change, no matter what.”

“I promise,” Ash said. Pidgeot and Pikachu came to him with his Pokéballs. He pocketed them and got on his flying-type’s back. Pikachu perched himself in his usual flying position in front of Ash. “Goodbye, old man!” he yelled as Pidgeot took off.

“Goodbye! Now go and conquer the world like your destined to.”

Ash grinned at his master’s words as he sailed into the horizon on his Pidgeot.

* * *

Gold stared at the diminishing image of Ash and Pidgeot. It was like looking at a baby bird’s first successful flight. “He’s ready,” he said.

Mew appeared beside him. She hovered and sat on Gold’s shoulder. **“Not yet, unfortunately. He has a lot to learn.”**

“What do you mean?”

**“Let’s just say, Ash is probably the most unfortunate Chosen One. I really hope this work out as planned.”**

* * *

The sun’s angelic rays cascaded through the kitchen glass and lit Delia’s aged-young face. She had a twinkling beam on it as she swiftly chopped vegetables into bite-sized chunks. Her over the top delight was the consequence of a surprise phone call she received this morning from Cinnabar Island. It bore the news her heart pressingly ached for. After three years of intensive training on that godforsaken island, Ash was finally returning home. Delia couldn’t have heard something better, it’s been so long she has seen her son. The only contact she had with him during that time were just six phone calls (two a year). Given the secluded location of the island, the Kanto Region’s telephone network barely covered that area. Those phone calls also were only possible because Ash made them from Orange Archipelago when he went there to stock up supplies. She tried to find other alternatives to contact Ash, such as using her brother’s influence as a champion to expand the region’s telecom bandwidth and cover Assumption Island, but even the brand name of a Champion wasn’t enough to sway the higher ups running the region in her favor.

It wasn’t the disconnection with Ash that bothered her. Arceus knows, how often her son gave her a ring while he was on road. No, what troubled her was the fact that she didn’t have the _liberty_ of contacting him whenever she wanted. Paradoxically, had there been healthy telephone reception at that Island, she probably wouldn’t have even talked to Ash those six times. Such was her son’s character when it came to training.

The only comfort Delia had was that her little boy wasn’t alone on that island. In one of his calls, he mentioned that he was training under some veteran trainer who resided there. Though Ash’s evasive description regarding the trainer’s identity slightly fret her, she was still glad Ash had someone to look after him. She cordially welcomed any help her son could get, from whoever so it might be.

However, all her worries were to end today, her little boy was finally returning home this afternoon. That one phone call from him amped her dead energy. She tasked herself on cooking the best meal her dexterous hand would permit. She wanted to provide Ash a lavish welcome when he arrived and knowing her son, there was only one way to please him—delicious food.

"Mimey dear, please pass me the salt, will you?" she said to her partner, Mr. Mime, the Psychic Pokémon.

"Mime Mr Mime," Mr. Mime said with a smile, an expression he carried even in the gravest situations. He grabbed the salt container, and unlike his usual mimicking, this time he actually passed the it to her.

_Knock! knock!_

“That must be Ash,” Delia exclaimed at the sound of a knock at the door. She bolted out of the kitchen and burst open the wooden shield of a door. Her instincts were precisely right. Ash stood in front of her with Pikachu perched on his shoulder.

Not wasting another moment, Delia quickly clothed her son in a tight hug filled with her sacred longing of her son’s touch, an emotion fathomable only to a maternal heart. It’s been three years since she embraced him and every second of that glum disconnection only surge her motherly affection to the brim. “I missed you so much, honey,” she said with tears dripping down her cheeks.

“I missed you too, mom,” Ash said as he returned her warm embrace. Surprising thing Delia noticed was that this was the first time Ash didn’t squirm for breath. His body certainly grew stronger.

Pikachu joined in the emotionally ballooned reunion by jumping on Delia's shoulder. He nuzzled his furry cheek against hers.

Delia withdrew from her grasp around Ash and acknowledged the yellow mouse's affection with a loving pet. “How you’ve been, Pikachu?"

“Pika Pika, Pikachu.” He raised his paw and flashed a peace sign.

Delia giggled softly, she adored Pikachu and his silly antics. "I see you are doing well."

“Pi,” Pikachu nodded.

Delia focused her attention back on Ash. She scrutinized his altered appearance after such a long gap. The apple of her eyes did not look like the little boy she remembered, but he resembled more of a grown man with crude stubble all over his face. His body had an athletic build and his arms developed brawny muscles, tearing his sleeves apart. His jawline was refined into a profound structure like a skilled sculptor chiseled it with an utmost care for the nuances. To top it off, his body emanated a sweaty masculine odor. Delia could say Ash was just as handsome as her late husband, and it wouldn’t be too long before her son stirred some female hearts. However, for all his attractiveness, his height stagnated at about five feet six inches at best.

As Delia admired her son’s transformed form, his peculiar conduct piqued her interest. All the while, Ash had been trying to hide his face from her. He kept his head low and ducked under his cap’s visor.

She snapped off Ash’s baseball cap. She gasped in horror at what she saw. “Who the hell did this to you, Ash,” she asked as she pulled her son closer and ran her thumb over a faded scar across his face. His left eye mediated the cicatrix running from his forehead to the bridge of his nose. She wouldn’t leave the person who did this to her son. That one speck tarnished his overall elegance.

“The-the-it. I-I—” Ash struggled to find the right words. He turned to his partner who now stood beside him and made complex expressions with his face.

Pikachu lift his paws up in defeat. Ash was on his own here.

“I’m still waiting for your answer.” Delia’s lips were pressed into a thin line. She crossed her arms and tapped her foot to show her impatience.

Ash scratched the back of his head and grinned foolishly. “It-it’s nothing much, mom. Just a small injury during training,” he said. “You don’t worry, it already healed.”

Delia’s hard expression hardened. She held her hips and her eyes blazed. A furious rage marinated her previous jovial demeanor. It wasn’t entirely Ash’s scar which infuriated her, but more so with him referring it as a small injury. “HEALED? YOU CALL THAT HEALED?”

Ash reflexively stepped back a few paces. “The-there was nothing much that I could do, mom. It just happened. I couldn’t do anything.”

“There was a lot you could have done, mister. How about: not getting into trouble, huh? You could have lost your eye, Ash.”

"Mom, Pikachu and I were attacked by a wild Scyther cloud. We honestly tried to escape, but there were too many of them. This scar was the best we managed. Isn't that right buddy?" said Ash in defense, directing the latter to his partner.

“Pika Pi,” Pikachu concurred from a few feet away. He distanced himself from the heated confrontation.

Delia sighed defeatedly. Ash was probably right, there was nothing one could do when ambushed by wild Pokémon. She learned it the hard way years ago. Maybe she could cut Ash some slack, he did come back in one piece after all. Besides, it wasn't like Red was flawless either, he too had his own share of scars and wounds. _So, Ash truly did go after his dad, huh?_

“Alright, Ash. I will let this slide this time.” She glared and pointed a finger at her son. “But the next time you come home with something like this, you will see my other side. And that is something you wouldn't wish even on your worst enemy, you got that, young man?”

Ash gulped and swiftly nodded. "Now can I come in? I’m starving."

“You can but you’re not getting anything to eat before you shower. You stink worse than a filthy Garbodor.”

“Garbodor? What kind of a Pokémon is that?”

“You won’t forget once you see it. Now hurry up, Samuel should visit us in a while,” Delia said as she gave way for her son to enter the house.

“Professor Oak? Why is he coming? Ash asked as he walked through the doorway.

“Don’t ask me. I was only told to inform him when you arrived. He seemed like he had something to discuss with you, so I called him this morning after your call.”

“Alright then, I’ll be down in a minute,” Ash said and bolted upstairs with Pikachu.

“By the way, Ash,” Delia called.

Ash froze in his tracks and leaned on the staircase’s wooden banister. “Yes, mom.”

“Serena called.” Delia resisted her urge to smirk, instead she veiled it with a smile.

“She did?”

“Mm-hmm. Not once, but almost every week. I already told you to call her once, but I don’t think you did. Do it at least now. That girl is worried sick about you.”

Ash chuckled softly. “I will,” he said and ran to his room leaving Delia to her culinary chores.

* * *

“You wanted to meet me, Professor?” Ash asked from his usual spot on the couch in the living room. His mom had just served tea to the visiting professor. Pikachu was back in the kitchen with Mr. Mime. The Barrier Pokémon wanted to celebrate Pikachu’s return with a special ketchup flavored dish he invented.

“Yes, I have a few important things to discuss, but before we get to that I want to know how your training went? Did you manage to get stronger like you desired?”

“Of course, Professor! My Pokémon and I are in the best of shape now. Squirtle and Bayleef evolved while the rest got even stronger. We’ll be winning the league this time.”

“That’s what I like to hear. I can’t wait to see the Pallet Town’s pride in action.”

Ash sheepishly smiled. “Your embarrassing me, Professor. But, yeah, we are in it to win it.”

“Well said, my boy. Now, lets talk business, shall we?”

“Business?”

“ _Ahem, ahem_ ,” the professor cleared his throat. “You remember your Battle Frontier victory, don’t you?”

“How can I forget. That is my best victory after all. But that was three years ago, why ask of it now?”

“Well, that accomplishment of yours created quite a ruckus among this region’s higher-ups. It isn’t everyday that a silver class trainer conquers the Battle Frontier. It made quite a bold statement to the repeatedly failing Gold Class trainers.”

“I didn’t know Battle Frontier was so tough, I guess I got lucky. But I don’t understand where you’re going with this.”

“Well, after your victory, there was a long debate whether to promote your class.”

“So, what happened?” Ash asked with thirsty eyes. Even his mom leaned forward with interest. This was music to his ears. This was a promotion every trainer of his age dreamed of.

Professor Oak smiled. “Congratulations, Ash. As of now, you are the holder of a Gold Class Trainer License.”

“What!” Ash’s mom exclaimed.

“Alright!” Ash jumped from his chair. “Perfect timing. Right when I’m at my best. I can give it my all now.”

“I didn’t expect this answer from you, but I’m not surprised either. Keep it up, my boy,” the professor said. “And, Delia, why are you surprised? Don’t you think your son deserves it?” he stroked his chin.

“Why, of course he deserves it. I’m just amazed that he received it at such a young age. Red was twenty-one when he was promoted and even that was groundbreaking then,” Delia said. She quickly threw her arms around Ash and hugged him in joy. “Congrats, Ash. I’m so proud of you.”

“Thanks, mom,” Ash said as his mom let go of her hold around him. “But it’s my Pokémon who deserve the real credit. They did all the hard work and made this possible.”

“Don’t sell yourself short, Ash. No matter how strong a Pokémon is, without a competent trainer they can never reach such heights,” Professor Oak said. “This promotion of yours is a true testament to the combined efforts of both you and your Pokémon.”

“I guess you’re right, Professor. But when did all this happen?” Ash asked. Based on Professor Oak’s explanation, his Battle Frontier victory was the prime reason for his promotion, but that was three years ago and since then he hadn’t participated in any competitive arena. This abrupt promotion raised quite a few red flags in his mind. He should have either been promoted soon after his victory, which was years ago, or shouldn’t be at all. Even his status as a Pokémon trainer has been inactive all this while. Surely the higher-ups couldn’t have been deliberating on his promotion for three years. The equation didn’t sit right.

“Ha-ha, you catch on quick, don’t you,” Professor Oak said. “Well, it isn’t much of a secret anyway and you probably will hear it from Lance, so I might as well tell you. Ash, you’ve been a Gold Class Trainer for the last two and half years. Your promotion came into action about six months after your victory. Since you were away all this while, Lance and I decided to keep it a surprise for when you returned. I hope you didn’t mind.”

“No, of course not. It’s not like it would’ve made any difference while my license was deactivated.”

“Yes, that was the impression I was under,” the Professor said. “By the way, Ash, you should better thank Mr. Charles Goodshow if you ever meet him.”

“Mr. Goodshow? Why?”

“This is inside information so you never heard it, yes?”

Ash made a gesture of zipping his mouth.

“Mr. Goodshow was the one who stressed on your promotion despite the severe opposition. The higher-up thought it was too early to promote you, but Goodshow threatened to shut down their private funds if they didn’t promote you.”

“Woah! Mr. Goodshow did that for me? Now I should definitely thank him.”

“He is quite fond of you.”

“Professor, are there any Gold Class trainers younger than Ash?” Delia asked.

“If you’re asking me regarding Kanto Region, then yes, there are quite a few of Ash’s age, but their promotion was very recent. Ash is by far the youngest Kanto trainer to receive the Gold plaque.”

“What about in other regions?” Delia asked.

“There should be many. Not all regions are as strict as Kanto with respect to promotions. In a way, a Kanto trainer has it relatively hard when it comes to climbing up the ranks,” Professor Oak said. “Why do you ask, Delia?”

“Oh, nothing. I just had a thought that my boy is the youngest Gold Class Trainer, but it doesn’t seem like it,” Delia said with a slightly sad face.

“Oh-ho, don’t you worry. Ash may not have been the youngest Gold Class trainer, but I’m confident he’ll be the youngest to attain Diamond Class.”

Delia smiled, clasping her hands. “I feel the same.”

“That’s enough, mom. You too, Professor,” Ash said while avoiding eye contact. There was a limit to the amount of praise he could handle, and his mom and Professor’s words have bypassed it a long time ago. All he ever wanted was a decent battle—nothing more, nothing less. “I don’t know about Diamond Class, but I do want to reach Platinum Class as soon as possible. I can then enter in Premier Tournaments, compete in Champions League, and battle against the best trainers.”

Pokémon Trainer Class was a hierarchy system developed by the Pokémon League at its inception. It classified trainers under five different ranks and allotted them with appropriate licenses. It was mainly devised to distinguish the superior trainers from the inferior one. Depending upon the rank allotted, various perks and facilities were provided to the trainers. The higher the rank, the better the facilities.

Trainers begin with a _Bronze Class_ License when they receive their starter. As they participate in various tournaments and leagues, and their experience increased—they are promoted to the next class, the _Silver Class_. It did not matter if the trainer wasn’t an exceptional performer or never won any competitions. The promotion was basic and solely based on experience and not accomplishments. It usually took a trainer about two-three years before the first promotion. As a result, the Bronze and Silver Classes comprised the largest chunk of trainers.

The third class, the Gold Class was where things got interesting. It was not only hard, but a dream for many trainers. Promotion to this level demanded an overall impressive record. League and tournament victories aside, the authorities should have well recognized the trainer as well. The individual discretion of the regional legislators was what made this class a monumental achievement. Sometimes, trainers were promoted to this class wholly based on off-record achievements the public was unaware of. Ash was probably a special case like that. His involvement in saving the world like in Shamouti and others certainly must have played a critical role in his promotion.

Platinum Class—the designation every trainer set their aim at before they begin, but only a handful succeed in achieving. This was a tag given only to the elite level trainers who boasted an outstanding records and tons of experience. The ones in this class and above are the only ones permitted to participate in Premier Tournaments—the Kanto Premier A (KPA) being one of the many such tournaments. Reaching to this position not only gave the trainers immense prestige, but also enormous wealth through various sponsorships in Premier Tournaments. They were also the only ones allowed to compete in the Regional Champions Trophy, held once in five years in every region. The winner of this trophy is the one given the opportunity to challenge the Regional Champion for his/her spot. Decades ago, the Regional League winners were the ones allowed the same. However, that tradition had been long abolished due to Platinum Class trainers flooding the Regional League and eliminating the weak mercilessly for the sole reason of getting a shot at the Champion title. To protect the aspirational interests of the lower-classes, the Platinum trainers were banned from Regional Leagues. Even a handful of their involvement pulverized the dreams of rookie trainers, since matching up to their level was practically impossible for the newcomers. This new method however, rerouted the elite trainers’ attention to higher level tournaments, leaving the Regional League to the lower-classes. This even led to the strengthening of the Regional Champion’s term duration, since one you win—you’re stable for the next five years.

The final class, the Diamond Class, was more or less an honorary tag. It was almost unheard of among the common public since such titled trainer never officially exposed their plaque. One could count the number of Diamond Class trainers in the world practically on their mere fingers. These trainers are usually old and have retired from any kind of Pokémon competitions, and the ones still in race are said to have Pokémon capable of going against Super-Legendries like Rayquaza. Gold was one such example of the meager lot.

Today, the only way of climbing up the rank ladder was to compete in as many leagues and tournaments possible. After attaining Silver Class, the next series of promotions were completely up to the discretion of the Regional Government, so better the performance in their eyes, the sooner the promotion.

“Aren’t you going to tell him about his finances, Professor?” Delia asked.

“Why, yes of course. That is the other reason for my visit after all.”

“Finances? What finances?” Ash asked with a tilt of his head.

“You see, my boy, now that you’ve turned eighteen, you’re now responsible for your own money. Your mom will no longer oversee it. Your guardian and withdrawal limit clauses have ceased.”

“Does that mean I can now spend my money as I want?” Ash’s eyes lit up. Over the years, Ash had collected a handsome sum of wealth through his gym battles, league performances, and others, but there was always a monthly limit to his total withdrawals due to his status as a minor. Though he wasn’t a spendthrift nor did he have intentions on a lavish lifestyle, he did recollect a certain incident where he desperately needed money. Due to him crossing the stipulated limit then, the bank froze his account and Ash was forced to borrow money from Brock. He tried to never repeat such a situation, but there were times when he was left with no other choice.

“Yes, you can.”

“Awesome!” Ash jumped out of his seat. Now that there aren’t any limitations on his account, he’d never have to seek for any financial assistance again. Though his friends never minded, Ash himself felt quite embarrassed to borrow money.

Professor Oak searched his coat pocket and pulled out a card. “Here, Ash. This is your updated Trainer License Card. You can use as your identity as well as to make purchases like your old one,” he handed the updated card to Ash. “You have quite a fortune for an eighteen-year-old I must say.”

Ash accepted his new license and admired it. Unlike his previous one, this one had a golden finish and looked much more professional. “This looks amazing. How much money do I have, Professor?”

“It’s in seven figures, Ash. Your Orange League and Battle Frontier victories loaded you with money,” the professor said. “You will know the exact amount when you use it. Trust me, you won't be disappointed.”

“Alright professor, I will check later," Ash said.

“If you wouldn’t mind me suggesting, I think you should invest your money efficiently.”

“I’m with you on this, Professor,” Ash’s mom said. “You shouldn’t leave your money to waste. Invest at least half of it in something.”

“Alright, I will,” Ash said. “But how do I do that? I don’t know the ABC of investment.”

“I can help you with that. We can talk about it in a few days, I’ll give you a call about it,” the Professor said.

"Thanks a lot, Professor.”

“It's okay my boy, it is my duty anyways.” Professor Oak smiled and got up from his seat. “I better leave now. I have a few research papers to inspect. Feel free to visit me anytime to get your Pokédex updated, unless I do that, you cannot avail your Gold Class facilities.”

“Sure Professor, I will come tomorrow.”

The professor nodded and left the Ketchums’ residence. Ash lovingly stared at his new trainer’s license. There would be many changes from now on. The opponents would be tougher and the lifestyle would be grander. He couldn’t wait till he got back on road.

* * *

Later that night, Ash was on his bed after a strenuous phone call to Serena, filled with supreme ecstasy on hearing from him, a bitter lecture on his ignorance towards his injury, and a sincere promise from him to visit Kalos next week, an endeavor to which his mom held no objections to. He gloomily stared at the full moon glistening through his diaphanous window. Silent platter of the slim drizzle outside tried to derail his thoughts, but only succeeded in undulated muffles as those tiny trickles struck his window pane. His vision smudged and paved way for profound ruminations to take over. The warnings made by Mew oscillated in his clamored brain.

" _You are the last hope of this world."_

" _Should you fail, the life around you will fail with you."_

" _The future of this planet is in your hands, Chosen One."_

The numerous battles he thrived all his life to win meant nothing to him anymore. His fanatical dream of becoming a Pokémon Master ebbed deep down his soul like a forgotten artifact which lost its relevance to a greater cause. The enthusiastic cheers and applause of the avid battle fans sounded like grieving laments to save their loved ones. The vibrant smiles and the bite-sized celebrations seemed like ghastly storms blaming his incompetency. All his blissful memories flipped into poignant flashes which skillfully tormented his inner conscious. Why was he the Chosen One? Why did Arceus had to choose him? He was just an eighteen-year-old trying to find his calling, so how was he supposed to save the world? Such were the queries which plagued him.

Initially, when Mew told him of his destiny three years ago, a thin wave of pride seeped into him. He was elated that among the millions of individuals, he was the one selected for such a glorious job. He felt honored. His naïve ego buffed and retrieving the Keystone of Infinity was the last straw to his inflated confidence. Over the years the lessons taught by his master and the training he went through gave him the courage he needed. But now, for the last time before he entered the battlefield of death, his heart doubted whether he was indeed suitable for such an eminent role. And going back to Mew’s words only magnified his self-doubt. He languished in despair and felt like a lost piece of a mosaic, unable to find a reason for its existence. His plethora of conundrums crucified him in every direction he advanced. Every solution he found made way for a new branch of doubts. Every answer he received, mounted a new hoard of questions. He plummeted to a point of no return where uncertainty was the only air he breathed.

He was frightened.

 _This how a Chosen One feels, huh?_ He sighed and blinked—clearing the burning water, swollen in his eyes.

" **Ash?"** A soft voice shattered his ongoing thoughts.

"Yes, buddy?" Ash asked as he shifted his body towards his partner.

" **What are you thinking?"** Pikachu asked. He took a leap from the floor and perched himself on Ash's bed.

"Nothing serious. Just about what Mew said.” Ash faced the false ceiling.

" **Thinking if you can save the world or not?"**

"Hmm-mm," Ash nodded. "I am…scared, you know. Mew clearly said that I am the only hope, but what if I cannot save the world? What if I screw up everything? What if, me being the Chosen One was a big mistake?"

Pikachu gave an annoyed look. He stepped closer towards his trainer, and sat near his face. He caught Ash’s face and wiggled it. **"Listen to me, my human. I don't know if Mew is right or wrong. I also don't know anything about this destiny crap or your role as Chosen One. But I do know one thing, if the fate of this world was to be placed in anybody's hands, it can only be you and nobody else."**

"How can you say that Pikachu?” Ash got up and sat upright. “There are so many people better than me. People stronger and more qualified."

" **Maybe there are, but I don't think anyone can be trusted with something as important as this."**

"What do you mean?"

" **I mean, when push comes to shove, there is no one as selfless as you are. Anyone would first try to save themselves and then think of the others, but you are different. You are someone who always keeps others interest before yours, that should be more than enough to qualify you as the Chosen One. You also did prove yourself many times before. Remember how you saved Lugia? What about Celebi? Latios? The list goes on and on, and you did all that without them asking for help, Ash. Strength and experience aside, what a Chosen One needs is a true heart. If you ask me, yours is the purest there is."**

"But what if I fail, buddy? The world will have to pay the price for my fault, right?"

" **You and fail?"** Pikachu said with a chuckle. He smirked slightly. **"What happened to, never give up till it's over?"**

"Huh?"

" **You didn't save all those Pokémon because you were strong, or you were the chosen one, Ash. You saved them simply because you loved them, and couldn’t stand injustice. And you did all that by you never giving up. Trust me, even if you aren't the Chosen One, you would be the first person to stand up against any evil. That's just who you are. That is why you are the Chosen One and not someone else. You need to forget all these useless thoughts and let the fate play its way and when something wrong happens and you begin to doubt yourself, you can be sure to have me and the others by your side. We won't give up, Ash, even if it means giving up our very last breath. We would do anything for you."**

Ash widened his eyes. Pikachu’s words struck him like an awakening slap across his face. His partner was right, he never tried saving those Pokémon to gain any glory nor because of his chosen one status; he did so only to help them, to aid the ones in need. Many of those adventures nearly consumed his life, but none were able to snag him from doing what he felt was right. Sure, Pikachu went a little overboard with his compliments, but that did not mean his partner was wrong. Even if someone else was the Chosen One, he wouldn’t sit back and relax while the world burns. He would want to fight in the front lines and that was what was being asked of him—to fight in the front lines. Maybe in some weird way, he indeed was born for this job. He loved Pokémon and people alike and would sacrifice his own life to protect them if necessary. Pikachu was also right in pointing out that he wasn't alone in his menacing ventures. He had his Pokémon to support him when in need.

The talk with Pikachu ushered a new perception within him, something he truly neglected all this while. He wasn't the chosen one all by himself, but his whole team together made him that— _they_ , together were the Chosen Ones. His lingering self-scrutiny gradually evaporated, like a huge load lifted off his feathery soul. Serenity eventually dawned within him. There was no use wailing over events which have never even occurred yet, but when they do, his team and he would be standing right in the front lines, defending the order of the world with their last drop of blood. He was certain of that.

He smiled and lifted Pikachu with a gentle hold. He brought him closer to his chest and tenderly hugged him. "I truly needed that, buddy. Thank you," he whispered.

" **You can count on me anytime Ash. Just tell me the next time you doubt yourself. I'll be sure to invite Big Red and the others to knock some sense into you."**

"He-he, sure."

* * *

It was a bright morning in Pallet town. Ash and Pikachu strolled through Professor Oak’s ranch as they scouted for the elderly man in lab coat. Ash had two main agendas to discuss with him today. One was concerned with his Pokédex update, while the other was regarding his travel to Kalos. Though he had received all the necessary information during his plan three years ago, he wanted to confirm if there were any changes to that. He visited the lab a few minutes ago and found Daisy who directed him to a nearby pond.

As he paced towards the said location, Ash spotted the professor and Gary from a distance. By the look of it, the grandfather and grandson were involved in a heated debate.

"Forget it, gramps, but I am not working under that maniac."

"Mind your words, Gary. Professor Sycamore is not a maniac. He is probably the most talented researcher there is. You should address him with a little more respect."

"The same respect he gets from everyone? Do you realize he spent the last four years doing nothing? He even gave up on his mega evolution research, and that was one hell of a bomb. If not a maniac, then what is he?"

"He did that because he believed in something bigger, son. Something more important."

"Yeah, the same thing which made him a laughing stock. The other professors mock him, gramps, I don't want to be treated the same."

“It’s only the young and inexperienced fools who do that. Name one distinguished professor or researcher who belittles him.”

"Hello, Professor. Hey, Gary," Ash said with a reluctant wave of his hand.

Both Oaks paused their conversation and turned towards Ash.

"Hey, Ash-boy," Gary said. From the likes of his voice, Ash could discern the suppressed annoyance in him.

"Ash, my boy," the professor said. "I am glad you came. It’s about your Pokédex I am assuming."

"Yes, Professor. You were busy yesterday evening. I didn't want to disturb you then, so could you do it today?" Ash asked. "I also wanted to know if you could book me a ticket to Kalos for next week. I hope the circuit registrations are still open."

"Yes, of course. I'll book yours along with Gary's," the professor said. "Don't you worry, there is plenty of time to register for this year's league."

"Gary is coming too?" Ash exclaimed. Maybe the debate was regarding that. "Alright! That’s awesome." He punched the air in excitement.

"No, I am not," Gary said with a sharp tone. "You can go alone." He crossed his arms.

"We already talked about this, Gary. You are going and that's final." The professor glared. He was a little too angry for his usual calm attitude.

" _Hump_ ," Gary gritted his teeth and balled his fist "Alright, gramps. I’ll give it one week, but if I don’t find it useful, I'll be back the next minute, deal?"

"That’s all I ask of," the professor said with a nod. "I am glad that you are willing to give it a try. Now, please excuse me while I go and make the necessary arrangements." He turned towards Ash. "I will need your Pokédex." He extended his hand towards the raven trainer.

"Thanks, Professor," Ash said. He took his Pokédex out and handed it to him.

“You can collect it back in the evening, Ash.” The professor left, leaving the two friends to catch up.

"I wonder when I'll be able to refuse to gramps." Gary exhaled in defeat.

"He wants the best for you, you know."

"Yeah maybe. Anyways forget about me," Gary said. "So, back to your Kalos plan, ey? You didn’t tell me about this yesterday when we met. Hiding something, are we?” He smirked, raising an eyebrow.

"U-uh, yeah. It slipped my mind" Ash said, a little uncomfortable at Gary's sudden change in voice. He never understood what's with everyone smirking whenever Kalos or Serena's topic came into light. Well, he did have a vague notion of what those simpers meant. He was no longer a kid and his experiences with Brock taught him a thing or two. He partially knew what they all insinuated, but wished it wasn't what he thought it was. "Is there something wrong with that?"

"Nope, just wondering if you'll finally tell her. If you know what I mean,” Gary winked.

"Tell her what, Gary?" Ash grimaced.

Gary facepalmed. "I don't know if your really dense or you just pretend to be one," he said. He shrugged and continued, "anyways Ashy-boy, I'll catch you later, got some last-minute tasks to finish before I leave." He waved and walked off, leaving Ash by himself.

"Do you know what Gary meant buddy?" Ash asked his partner.

" **I do and so do you. Don’t act."** Pikachu smirked, **"I’m waiting for when we’ll land in Kalos and then—"**

"Then what?" His suspicions only strengthened on Pikachu's inclination towards Gary's words.

" **Nothing. Now come on let's go, we need to tell the others of our plan."**

Pikachu bolted in the direction where Ash's Pokémon usually rested. Ash followed behind.

* * *

In a secret hidden base, somewhere in the northeastern part of Kanto region, three individuals walked through an underground tunnel. It was dark and gloomy, but they followed the dull lights fixed to the roof at regular intervals, lit in straight pattern. Their footsteps reverberated in the cold vacuum like atmosphere as they headed towards their destination.

“Huuufff, it’s freezing in here, Jess,” shivered the middle-aged man. He hugged himself to give himself some warmth. He was dressed in a white uniform with a bold red ‘ _R’_ on his chest.

“Oh, shut up, James. We’ve been through worse while we chased that twerp for five years. You should be able to handle at least this much of cold now,” the middle-aged woman grumbled. She was dressed in the same colors as her partner.

“Doin’t remoind me oif ‘im again,” the Scratch Cat Pokémon, Meowth, said with a depressed face. He held his spiraled tail and caressed it lovingly. “Because of ‘im, moy taoil has goin tru soi much pain.”

“Who cares of your stupid tail, you whining bitch. His Pikachu was worth every penny,” Jessie said. He balled her fist. “We will catch it someday and gift it to boss.”

“Forget it,” James said with drooped shoulders. “We haven’t seen him for three years. I don’t think we will again.”

“Dats because boss banned us foim abroiad missions, Jimmy. That twoip must be travelling oither regions,” Meowth said as he crossed his arms.

“No. I don’t think so,” Jessie stroked her needle like chin. “If he was travelling in some region, there is no way we are not there creating a pain in his ass. We are somehow destined to be arch rivals. He is somewhere else that’s why we’re stuck with these worthless missions.”

“But the boss seems really impressed with us. He gave us two rises in three years and now he called us to give a secret mission,” James said.

“Don’t say you believe that, James. Boss’s every mission is a secret mission. This will be no different,” Jessie said.

“Maybe e’ll give us a raise again.” Meowth licked his lips and rubbed his paws together. “I’ll get a delicious moiel.”

“Sure, you can have what’s left after my shopping,” Jessie flicked her straightened hair. “Ha-ha-ha!” she laughed maniacally. “My beauty will pour life into my new outfits.”

 _“Shhh, James,”_ Meowth called James and whispered in his ear. _“We gotta side soime share foim our next payi check. If this keeps on goin’, we’ll have nothin’ left foi us.”_

 _“Mm-mm, you’re right, but what if she finds out?”_ James whispered back.

 _“She is dumb. All she knoiws is to spend. We can say da items she poichased woi expensive. Nhe-nhe-nhe,”_ Meowth giggled covering his mouth. _“She’ll neva noe.”_

Jessie gritted her teeth as a nerve popped in her head. She pressed her face close to her partners, clenched her fist with an evil face. “Say that again, M-E-O-W-T-H!”

James and Meowth trembled like two people stuck in a graveyard at midnight saw a levitating head. They hug each other tightly. A dark gloomy aura loomed over them as they stared into the nefarious eyes of death.

“W-w-w-we a-a-are s-s-s-sorr-sorry, J-J-J-J-Jess,” they both shivered.

“ _Ahem, ahem_. The boss is waiting for you both,” the boss’s secretary, Matori interrupted them and thereby saving the duo’s lives.

Jessie swallowed her rage and put an elegant face. She clapped her hands and placed it beside her cheek. “Of course, we are coming,” she smiled. She then rolled her eyes towards her partners. “James, Meowth.”

James and Meowth jumped to their feet and saluted. “Yes, Ma’am!”

Matori escorted the trio to the end of the tunnel and stopped before a black door. “The boss is waiting,” she said.

Jessie, James, and Meowth—all three fell mum for a second as they realized they stood before the door, behind which lay their criminal boss. A certain scary pulse ran through their body. They looked at each other and gulped.

Jessie rotated the doorknob and unlocked the door. A frightening cold wind swept across her face. She peeped into the dark opening. “Boss-ss, Jessie, James, and Meowth at your service. May we come in?”

James and Meowth popped their heads through the small gap.

“Mm-mm,” a sore voice said.

The trio plodded into the room. It was like entering darkness through darkness. There were visibly no windows on the walls. The lights were off and the one table lamp on boss’s desk was only lighting the few files on his desk.

The three nervously approached their boss’s desk. There were no chairs for visitors which highlighted the power of their boss. Nobody dared to sit before him.

“Jessie, James, and Meowth, reporting, sir!” the trio thumped their foots and saluted.

The desk lamp’s light intensified. The items on the desk became visible. There were about three folders with _‘Top Secret’_ initials, a few paper weights, a bottle of expensive scotch, a closed laptop, a pen stand with four golden pens, and a name plate with the words—GIOVANNI (Chairman) on it. The lamp’s light lit a part of their boss who sat in a throne-like chesterfield chair. He was dressed in a complete black suit and his loyal Persian sat in his lap. He had a glass of that expensive scotch in his hand and an evil grin on his face. A menacing silence cloaked around him as the three waited for him to say something.

“You three—” Giovanni said. His voice was as menacing as the atmosphere around him.

“Yes, boss!”

“You’ve done well these past few years,” he stroked his Persian’s fur. “You weren’t the used dildos like before.”

“Thank you, boss,” the trio blushed.

“I have a new mission for you three. It’s my biggest plan yet and I want no jerking off, you fuckers!”

“You mean, we are a part of it, boss?” Jessie asked with hungry eyes.

“Yes, I’ve decided to appoint you three dustbins as my head agents in Kalos.”

“Bo-oo-sss! we are soi hoinored,” Meowth said teary eyed. “I thoiught you’d ban us from abroiad missions foiever. Now youi including us in youi moist impoirtant mission. Meowth will sacrifice ‘is loife in youi name, boss.”

“So, will we,” Jessie and James said. They were in similar state as their feline partner.

“Shut your nonsense!” Giovani pounded the glass of scotch on the table. The drink spilled a little and the Persian in his lap jumped down and crawled under the desk.

The trio stood to attention and wiped their tears in a heartbeat. “Boss!”

“Matori will give the details of your,” Giovani pulled out a paper which looked like a bank cheque from his jacket and slapped it on the table. “For the expenses.”

The trio quickly seized the cheque and gasped at the sum written on it. It was half a million dollars laundered to an off-shore account. It was the largest sum any of the three could ever dream of owning.

"Bo…Bo…Boss. I can't thank you enough for this," Jessie cried in happiness, streams of tears rolling down her cheeks again.

"Yes, Boss… Thank you, Boss," James and Meowth concurred with the same elation.

“You sure are.” Giovanni steepled his fingers and rested his arms on the table. “But you make one mistake and I won’t fire you—”

“Rawrrrr!” Persian pounced on the three, leaving scratch marks on their bodes.

The trio flinched and stood on guard, shuddering. Persian walked around them with the starving look of a predator watching his prey.

The trio’s hearts raced. They trembled and sweat dripped over their faces.

“I hope you get the point,” Giovani grinned evilly.

“Y-y-yes, boss,” the trio said with dry voices.

"Now fuck off!"

The trio sprinted out of the room like their tails were on fire.

* * *

Kalos region—the perpetual abode to dreams, love, and felicity. Continental climate, towering structures, cheerful Pokémon, and amicable people—all endemic to this region on splendor. The cities were chaotically blissful and the forests were blissfully chaotic. But the most distinct feature of this region was romance which covered it like a blanket of air giving life to the life. Beauty and Love ran in the blood of this region.

This region’s another unique delicacy were its suburbs which are decorated in remote tranquility fenced by chunky forests. They had perennially pleasant weather and was forever void from any urban mayhem. Towns, forests, and villages made up most of the suburbs in Kalos. In on such town located in the south was Vaniville town in which lived a sub-nuclear family of a mother and a daughter, the Yvonnes.

“Serena! You better come down soon. Shauna is here to see you,” yelled a middle-aged woman, Grace Yvonne, from downstairs.

“Tell her I need five more minutes, mom!” the eighteen-year-old, Serena Yvonne yelled back as she admired her new outfit in the four-feet mirror in her room. Today was the day she was going to meet her oldest and best friend, Ash, after nearly eight long years. Though she was able to keep in touch with him sometimes the first five years, they were completely cut-off for the next three. While they were initially supposed to meet three years ago, Ash somehow convinced her to lay off their meeting for some time and never in her wildest dream did she think it’d be this long. Despite her suppressed anger, the cherry flush on her bulged cheeks reflected the euphoria in her. She held her hip with one hand, posed as a proficient model, turned sideways, and asked her Fox Pokémon, "How do I look, Fennekin?"

She wore a sleeveless black top, a red skirt, and black stockings. A pink fedora complemented her outfit, nothing too fancy yet not too simple, but it was her natural features which were responsible for her overall charm. Fluffy olive skin, piercing blue eyes, and pointed sloppy nose—all result of her hereditary genes. Her bouncy honey-blonde hair whispered loosely over her shoulders and her immaculately voluptuous anatomy bragged in brilliance putting any hourglass to shame. She had the face of a princess and the figure of a model, she was simply—beautiful.

Her quadrupled fire type gaped at her trainer like she was envious of her glamour. "Fenne Fennekin," she barked.

"Aw, thank you, Fennekin," Serena said as she lifted her partner in her arms. "Now come on, we need to go. Shauna is down already."

"Fenne," the fire type nodded.

Serena returned her Pokémon back in her contraption, grabbed her backpack, and exited the room.

"Hey, Serena," a pigtailed brunette waved as Serena ambled downstairs. She sat on the couch along with Serena's mother, Grace who was reading a newspaper.

"Hey, Shauna," Serena waved back at her friend.

Shauna was Serena’s classmate at Kalos Academy. Owing to their similar age and mutual love for fashion and Pokémon Performances alike, they both instantly blended as friends. And after their graduation, three years ago, the two girls fostered a healthy rivalry between them, both aiming for the same pinnacle, the Kalos Queen crown, but none were successful as of yet.

“This dress looks amazing on you. Great choice,” Shauna flashed a thumps-up.

“Thanks. Shall we leave now?” Serena said.

A few days back, both the girls received an invitation to address the newcomers at Kalos Academy for this year. While Shauna accepted since she was free, Serena didn’t have to think twice before accepting. Ash was visiting Kalos the same day which only made things more convenient since the academy was in Lumiose City which was where the airport was at. Additionally, the initiation day was where the former graduates got to socialize with the newly joined kids, and she adored kids. Not that she needed an excuse for either since Kalos Academy was where she usually hung out with friends.

“The Initiation day wouldn’t start anytime soon. I don’t know why you’re insistent on going so early. Normally you’re so lazy,” Shauna grumbled.

“Didn’t she tell you?” Grace popped her head up from the newspaper with a mischievous glint in her eyes. “It’s because she’s—”

Serena hastened to her mom and slapped her hand on her mouth. “Mom! No!”

“Huuffu-uuufffuuuf-fffhhhuuu-uuufffffhhhhh-uuuffffhhhhuuuffff.”

“You promise not to open your mouth?”

Grace nodded. Serena removed her hand.

“You didn’t need to get so violent,” Grace frowned.

“You didn’t need to open your mouth,” Serena countered with crossed arms.

“This is my house. I can say what I want.”

“So? This is my house too. I can do what I want.”

Grace sighed and held her palms out. “Fine! you win this time. I don’t want to send you off with a fight.” She got up and hugged her daughter and said softly in her ear, “take care of yourself. This is your first time on a journey. Have your Pokémon with you at all times.”

Serena smiled, returning the gesture. “I will. You don’t need to worry. Ash is quite experienced and I have Fennekin and Pancham with me.”

“Mmm, about that,” Grace softened her voice, _“be a little careful and try to resist, if not at least take precautions. I’m too young to be a granny.”_

If someone once said, as red as a tomato, then they certainly haven’t seen Serena’s face when her mom said those words. Her flush could paint the whole town red. She pushed her laughing mom away and screamed. “Aaaahhhhhh!”

Shauna rushed to Serena and caught her by the arm. “What happened? Why is your mom laughing?” she asked pointing to Grace, holding her belly unable to control her laughter.

“Nothing!” Serena said sharply. “Shall we leave?” she asked with eyes ready to kill.

“Y-yes,” Shauna said.

“Bye, Serena,” a laughing Grace said.

Serena didn’t reply and continued to walk out with Shauna.

The two girls walked out of the house ten minutes ago and for those ten minutes, Serena carried a pinched expression. She didn’t speak a word. Shauna too, not wanting to annoy her friend, kept quiet, but now her anxiety was kicking in, she was a hyperactive by birth and the bus stop was still a twenty-minute walk away.

To pass time, Shauna kicked a rock with her feet alternatively and dribbled it.

Left.

Right.

Left.

Right.

Left.

Right.

Left.

Right.

An idea popped in Shauna’s head. She kicked the rock away and slyly rolled her eyes towards Serena. She coyly stepped in her way.

Serena nearly tripped and fell. She turned around and narrowed her brow at Shauna. “What was that?”

“What? what was that?”

“You almost tripped me!”

“So?”

“What, so?”

“Here, I’ll trip you again,” Shauna lightly pushed Serena with her shoulder.

“Hey!” Serena pushed Shauna back. “Why’d you do that?”

“To make you talk.”

“If that’s what you wanted, you could have said that out, Shauna. I wouldn’t eat you.”

Shauna raised an eyebrow. “By that look on your face earlier, you seemed you would actually eat me if I talked, am I wrong?”

Serena scratched her cheek sheepishly. “I-I’m sorry. I was angry at mom.”

“Yeah. I noticed. You know, Serena, there was a time when you used to trust me with everything,” Shauna said as she cinematically looked into the sky. She put a depressing face and fidgeted with her fingers. “I believe we are not best friends anymore.”

“Aye! Save your drama for someone else. You know you’ll always remain my by best friend, but I just have two best friends.”

“Yeah, that Ash guy, right?” Shauna held her hips “I want to see him someday. I only heard about him. You like him, don’t you?” she wiggled her eyebrows. “Is that what your mom teased you with before?”

Serena got flustered. Her face flushed again like it was when she screamed in her house. “I-It’s n-not what you think it is.”

“Maybe not, but today, you’re telling me everything.”

“About what?”

Shauna deadpanned. “About what your mom was teasing you with.”

“Can we just walk?”

“And talk?”

“Do I have a choice?”

“Nope!”

“Promise, you won’t tease later?”

“You wanna cross pinkies too?”

“No, just your word.”

“You know I won’t stand on it.”

“At least not in front of anyone?”

“Deal!”

“Let’s go, then.” Serena slapped her forehead in defeat.

The girls continued with their walk.

“So, was I right? Did your mom tease you with his name?”

Serena exhaled defeatedly. “Yes, you are right.”

“I knew it! You like him, don’t you? That’s why you’ve never had a boyfriend before. I remember the night on your eighteenth birthday, you got drunk on wine and said something like that. Even I was drunk, I can’t remember anything properly.”

“Eh, don’t assume stuff,” Serena said, her face still flushed. “It’s more complicated than _I like him_.”

“Un-complicate it for me, please. I’m all ears.”

“See, he is the first friend I ever made. He appeared in my life at a time when I was most vulnerable, so I have that certain bond with him. If I ever had to have a boyfriend, I told myself that he’ll be the first person to get that chance.”

“That’s called a crush, my dear. And it simply means that you like him.”

“Maybe I do have a crush then.” Serena winked. “A tiny one though.”

“I don’t get it.” Shauna scratched her ear. “Didn’t he go away somewhere like a hermit or something?”

“Hey! He didn’t go off as a hermit. He went to train and now he’s back.” Serena flushed. “He’s coming today and I’m starting my journey with him.”

“What!” Shauna slapped her cheeks. “So, last week when you said you were ready to start your journey, you meant you were—”

“—Going to travel with Ash. I’ve been waiting for so long for this.” Serena spread her arms out.

“You hid this from me for a week?”

“I wanted it to be a surprise.”

“But we are friends, Serena. I’m hurt!”

“Sorry, Shauna. This is one thing I had for myself. You are still the first person to know about it, so cheer up.”

“Fine, but tell me: you both are meeting each other after so long. What if you don’t like the way he is. I mean don’t get me wrong, I wish the best for you, but he went to some place where even phone lines weren’t connected, don’t you think he might have changed? And if I must speak for everyone, Calem and Tierno were both planning to invite you to join them on their journey today.”

“He may have changed a bit, but I trust it’s only for the better and he’s still the same person within. Look, if it doesn’t work out then it doesn’t work out. I can move on to someone else, but not before I give him that first chance.”

“You are crazy, but if you really have such trust in him then I’m happy for you. What you plan to tell Calem and Tierno?”

“I’ve made my choice. Calem and Tierno and go with each other if they want. I’ve waited long enough to deserve this journey with Ash. There is no way I’m turning my back on him this time.”

Shauna raised her eyebrows. “I foresee something very interesting.”

* * *

It was early morning and the sun brilliantly shone through the window as the clouds were like white dabs on a blue canvas. Gary looked across the sole dividing table in their cabin and sighed at the sight of a snoring Ash. They were travelling in the first-class section of an airplane, thanks to Ash’s generosity, and were about half an hour away from landing in Lumiouse City, Kalos. The cabin they were allotted had two parts—Ash and Gary took one each. Pikachu was safely in the Pokémon section the airplane provided which was the sole reason why Ash choose this airplane services over the other.

Gary took a sip of the orange cocktail in his hand. If not for the internship under Professor Sycamore, he could live in Kalos at least for its lenient liquor laws. Unlike regions like Kanto and Johto, where the legal drinking age was twenty-one, one needed to be only eighteen to drink in Kalos. Gary adjusted his dark Wayfarer sunglasses. The time was right, he may not get this chance again.

He rose from his comfortable seat and walked up to Ash’s side of the cabin. His friend snored like a Snorlax. Gary took a seat with his precious drink still in his hand.

“Yo, Ashy-boy,” he nudged the sleeping trainer.

Ash stirred slightly. He sleepily wiped his drooling mouth and continued on with his slumber.

“Wake up, dumbass,” Gary nudged Ash again.

“Huh,” Ash woke up in reflex. “Who’s that?” he took a fighting stance, ready to strike.

“Woah! chill, my man,” Gary held his arms in defense. He carefully made sure not to spill any of that drink in his hand. “We’re about to reach Kalos in thirty minutes.”

“Oh, wake me up when we’re five minutes away. Goodnight.” Ash went back into his sleeping position.

“Hey, get up. There is something I need to talk to you about.”

Ash rubbed his eyes from his rested position. “Yeah, tell me.” He had the face of a student who woke up late in the morning, hurriedly attended school, and sat in for a science test thinking it was a regular class. He had no idea what he was in for.

Gary took a sip of his drink. “Wanna try?” he offered Ash.

“What is it?”

“ _The Mimosa,”_ Gary said with the best fake accent he could muster.

“What’s in it?”

“Orange juice and champagne. A local Kalos drink. Champagne for breakfast? Sign me up,” Gary raised the glass and took another sip.

“Yuk! I’m never trying alcohol,” Ash cringed. “It’s not good for body.”

“Who said that? Scientists have evidence that limited quantities is good for health and don’t try to warn me, I’ve been drinking for two years.”

“Firstly, no matter what scientists say, rotten food juice can never be good for health, and secondly, who gave you permission to drink when you were sixteen? Weren’t you breaking the law?”

“Ever heard of fake ids, brother? Look, Ash, I didn’t wake you up to argue about my drinking problem. I know my limits and I only drink occasionally. I woke you up to have an important man-to-man conversation, is that a good enough reason for you to switch topics?”

“Okay, what do you want to talk?” Ash sat upright attentively.

“I’ll come clean, Ash.” Gary put his drink aside on tray table. He was about to reveal something confidential and it required some seriousness in the atmosphere. “Remember the time when you left all your Pokémon, even Pikachu, and went somewhere?”

“Yeah, it was just two days ago. Why? Something happened then?”

“Your mom called us all for lunch at the ranch. Even gramps and Daisy were invited.”

“She must have made some delicious food,” Ash licked his lips. “Damn! I missed it.”

“The food was amazing as usual, but she didn’t call us just for that.”

“What else did she call you’ll for?” Ash tilted his head dubiously. He licked his lips again like his throat was dry. “Wait a minute, Gary.” He searched around all him and finally found what he was looking for—the water bottle. He took the bottle from the holder and opened its cap.

“Ash, stop!” Gary stopped him from drinking it. “Drink it after I say what your mother said, or else you’ll repent.”

Ash raised his eyebrows. He put the bottle aside. “Alright, what did mom say?”

“She wanted all of us, as in all your Pokémon, gramps, Daisy, and me to help you find a girlfriend,” Gary hid his face expecting a volcanic eruption of a reaction, but it didn’t come. He peeped towards a silent Ash.

“I thought something like this would happen,” Ash said softly. He gulped down some water. “She was acting quite weird since I came back. She was talking a lot about Serena. They became good friends over three years of repeated phone calls. She was all excited on seeing me go to Kalos and meet her.”

“Exactly! She preferred if the girl was Serena. In fact, she insisted.”

“Destiny should allow for anything like that to happen,” Ash smiled half-heartedly. The Ash Ketchum smile was a unique one. It was like a beacon of courage and determination, but this smile of his said something else. Like there was some dark mystery behind it.

“Since when did you start believing in destiny? Anyway, fuck destiny. It’s two brothers talking. Tell me, what do you think of her?”

“Who? Serena?”

Gary nodded like he was answering the dumbest question in the history of questions.

“She’s nice. I like her a lot as a friend.”

“That’s all?” Gary clenched his jaw. One side, he had to fulfill the promise he made to Ash’s mom; other side, Ash’s dense act was testing the strength of his nerves. “You know what I asked you, answer that.”

“Gary, things like girls and relationships are the last thing on my mind right now. Can we drop the topic, please?”

Ash, at last brushed the Snorlax in the room. Now Gary could spin his web and trap the dense-head. He stroked his chin. “This was what your mom was afraid of and had to call all of us. You never feel that way for a girl, Ash. Misty tried, she failed. May tried, she failed. I don’t know about the dozen other who tried and failed during your journeys. Then, you went away from everybody for three years. Your mom is seriously scared. She told me to ask you if you were gay.”

“What?” That volcanic eruption of a reaction came now. Ash gaped at Gary like he was seeing a blue moon during a summer noon.

“She said she wouldn’t mind if you are, she just wants you to find a partner.”

“You can’t be serious!”

“I am serious, and suspicious.” Gary raised an eyebrow. “Are you?”

“No! I’m not,” Ash slapped Gary’s face with a cushion beside him.

“Then what’s your problem? You can tell me, I’m the closest male human friend you have, we practically grew up together, man. You’re supposed to tell me if you have any such problems.” Gary shook Ash’s arm. “Tell me, brother. I’ll help you with anything. Anything!”

“Alright! Alright! Stop shaking me,” Ash swatted Gary’s hand away. “I’ll tell you if you promise to leave me alone after that.”

“Done! Now tell me.”

“You know how important being a Pokémon Master is to me, right?”

“Yeah, that was all you could speak of.”

“Well, I found something more important than that.”

“Wait, what?” Gary exclaimed. What can Ash Ketchum have something more important than a Pokémon Master? Ash lived and breathed only for that goal. It was that insane obsession for that unknown end that made Ash abnormally strong and now he found something more important? It was either the most valuable thing in the world, or knowing Ash, was an insanely irrelevant thing. “What did you find?”

“I’d tell you, but then I’d have to kill you.”

Gary deadpanned. “Fucker, just tell me already. Don’t leave me hanging like that.”

Ash laughed. “Seriously, Gary: if I tell you, I’ll be betraying somebody else’s trust in me. I’m sorry.”

“Alright, but will I ever know what it is?”

“Someday, for sure.”

“I can live with that, but you haven’t told me its link to why you’re not interested in girls. As I guy, I can vouch that they are best thing the world has to offer.”

“It’s not that I’m not interested,” Ash avoided eye contact. “I’m just too invested towards my goals. The one I’m after right now is the most important of all. I can’t waste my time in other things.”

“Let’s go by your way then. What if a girl is in love with you and wants a relationship with you? You didn’t need to invest any time or energy on her. She fell for you on her own, what would you do?”

“I-I don’t know. That can’t happen.”

“Happened with Misty and May. You rejected them, Ashy-boy.”

“They never said anything out to me. They understood on their own. And I was too young for a relationship then.”

“So, you are open to one now?”

“I didn’t say that. I just said I was young and naïve then.”

Gary smirked. Ash was nearly in his trap. “Alright. Fair enough. But what if the girl to ask you out is Serena?” he wiggled his brows. “What’ll your answer be Ashy-boy?”

“I-I-I—”

Gary pressed his face close to Ash. “Come on, come on, admit it already.”

Ash pushed Gary away. “Admit what?”

Gary shut his eyes and flared his nostrils. “Ash Ketchum, the next time you act dense in front of me—I’ll shove my foot so far up your ass that the water on my knee will quench your thirst.” He opened his eyes. “You got that, Ashy-boy?”

“I dare you to try.” Ash rolled his shoulder.

“Ash, quit dodging.”

“Alright,” Ash sighed. “I honestly don’t know what my answer would be, but—” he looked away, “—there is this feeling which tells me that, I’d want to know what my answer would be.”

“Wait? What?” Gary blinked his eyes with a giant grin. He finished his entire drink in one gulp, all while his face had that grin tattooed to it. He whole heartedly enjoyed it. It was the moment Ash, the great fucking Ketchum finally admitted it, though implicitly, he at least did. Gary grabbed Ash’s face and kissed his cheek. “Took you so long, asshole.”

“Ey, get off me!” Ash shooed Gary away. “It’s not like how you think it is. My answer is still the same. I don’t have time for things like this, but if an impossible situation like how you said would happen, which I know won’t, I’d like to know what answer I’d give. That’s all.”

“You rejected them all, you bugger!” Gary slapped the air like he was drunk, which he certainly was. That one last bottoms-up hit was like a nuclear explosion to his brain cells. “You waited just for her.”

“Woah, calm down, Gary, we are on an airplane.” Ash straightened up Gary. “Pull yourself together.”

“I don’t care if you admit or not. I already know what’s in your heart.”

“Yeah, whatever you say,” Ash said. He took the water bottle beside him and offered it to Gary. “Here, drink this.”

Gary finished the half empty bottle. He burped and took his sunglasses off.

“You feeling okay now?”

“Yeah,” Gary said while he massaged his eyes. “It’s only my second drink. I’m not high, but that last bottoms-up hit me like a slap.”

“We still have some time left I guess, so you can rest.”

“Yeah. Hey, you didn’t tell me why where you left for those two days?”

“To make an investment,” Ash smirked.

Gary waved his hand dismissively. “I made a better investment for you.” He rummaged his backpack, pulled out a red colored book, and threw it in Ash’s lap. “Read it whenever you get time. Maybe it’ll change your mind.”

Ash lifted the book in his lap. It was titled– **Noob's Guide to Romance & Sex**. An erotically dressed woman was on its cover and if not for the censured blurs concealing her privates, they would have been easily visible through the see-through negligee she wore.

Ash instantly flung the book on Gary’s face. “I don’t need this!”

Gary took the book, unzipped Ash’s bag, and slid it inside. “I said, read when you have time. I didn’t ask if you want it.”

“I’ll throw it in Kalos,” Ash muttered. He zipped his backpack shut, crossed his arms, and sat with a serious expression.

“Did Serena tell you where to meet her?”

“She asked me to come straight to Professor Sycamore’s lab in Lumiouse City. She said something about an initiation day.”

Gary shrugged his shoulders. “Isn’t that convenient. That’s where I’m headed off once we land.”

The flight captain announced: “Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking, as we start our descent, please make sure your seat backs and tray tables are in their full upright position. Make sure your seat belt is securely fastened and all carry-on luggage is stowed underneath the seat in front of you or in the overhead bins. Thank you.”

"It's time." Ash fastened his seat belt.

"Yes, it is." Gary too fastened his seat belt and smirked slightly. Ash didn’t know what his Pokémon had in store for him. Pikachu took Delia’s request a little too seriously and has planned something big to unite this fool with his childhood sweetheart. Gary would sit and enjoy the show as Ash finally attended the school of romance.

* * *


	6. Kalos Jitters

"Stop dreaming and walk fast."

"Yes, Shauna. I’m coming." Serena quickened her pace, trotting to her previous prissy gait. She vigilantly crossed the asphalt road, habitually holding her hand out—an attempt to slow the non-existent vehicles. She reached the far side of the road where the Kalos Academy and the Regional Professor's Laboratory were situated, both connected by the same access gate.

Shauna stood on the black-white checkered cobblestone sidewalk, waiting, her arms crossed and brow narrowed.

"You know that we needn’t hurry, right?" Serena said.

"Yeah, ‘cause you wanted to come so early and wipe the windows, but that doesn’t mean you can walk at the speed of an eighty-year-old granny," Shauna said. She lifted the latch of the small iron gate connected to the brick wall, fencing the lab and the academy.

"Sorry," Serena stuck her tongue out apologetically. She had been dazing off in trance ever since they boarded the bus to Lumiose. Even during their ride, her whole attention was on nothing but her eventual reunion with Ash.

"You’re not sick, are you?" Shauna placed her palm on Serena's forehead.

"N-no. I’m fine," Serena stuttered, swaying her hands in before her face, hiding behind her long honey-blonde hair—her way of concealing her embarrassed look. Even though she revealed her secret to Shauna, she wasn’t completely ready for the teasing orgy which accompanied it. Today was the day Ash was arriving and dealing with that anxiety alone was enough of a stress. “Shall we move?”

"Sure, but when I said sick, I actually meant—lovesick," Shauna smirked slyly. She spun around and pranced through the lawn.

"Shauna!" Serena shrieked, but received no response. Her brunette friend has long vanished from her sight. She was blessed with feet as quick as race cars, and to top that off was her hyperactive personality keeping her toes eternally warm. Her parents must have gone through a nightmare raising her.

Serena advanced inside with a disgruntled sigh. Perhaps disclosing her secret about her crush to Shauna might have been a bad idea. There was no telling how the brunette planned to strangle her peace. At least she promised not to do it in public.

She re-latched the gate Shauna opened and treaded on the lush green lawn grass which diverged into two pebbled pathways. The shorter one snaked to her right, leading to the olive steps of the laboratory. The long left one spiraled through the garden beside the lab, ending at the academy’s entrance.

She took the one on the left, created from handpicked black pebbles of various shapes and sizes, expertly fixed without leaving any minute open gaps. It meandered like a black river on a green surface.

On her way, Serena flicked a glance to the side, eying the miniature-sized laboratory, possibly closed for the day's program. It was a small dome shaped structure primarily constructed of cement and blue tinted glass. She could never get her head around how the professor conducted his research in such a small building, but there he was, proving everybody wrong. Maybe he voluntarily restricted the lab's expansion, leaving enough room for the artificial ranch behind it, or maybe he lacked enough resources, or maybe both.

She brushed her palm against the shrubs on the side of her pursued path, her fingers meeting the rinsed foliage. As she ambled further, the dense flora advertised its existence with an enticing aroma of diversified scents. She took a long whiff of the grassy flavor. It had hints of mint, lavender, and other diminutive fragrances circling it. Her spirits revitalized. She smiled gratifiedly—the Professor sure knew how to maintain a garden.

She weaved past the garden and reached the gravel path. The academy's entrance lay ahead. A sizable metallic gate, adorned with numerous designs of Pokémon greeted her. It was the most lavish entrance Serena had ever perceived. She made her way through it and entered the academy's playground.

As she stepped foot on the hardened red terrain, her ears exploded from loud hollers and excited cheers from a gathered crowd. Curious, she pushed herself on her toes, craning her neck, and peered at the heated Pokémon battle between her friends, Tierno and Calem. She knew who was winning; she didn't even need to witness the entire brawl. Calem was last year's league runner-up, while Tierno, though he participated in the league and various battle tournaments, his focus predominantly resided in dance than any form of Pokémon battles. The outcome was evident.

She averted her gaze from the decided battle and scouted for Shauna. She stood in a corner with Trevor, both cheering, probably in support of Tierno. She quickly paced towards her two friends.

Shauna caught the honey-blonde approaching her, and excitedly waved her hands.

Serena smiled and sped. "Hey, Trevor," she waved.

"H-Hello, S-Serena," Trevor, the short ginger-haired boy said as he fidgeted with the camera in his hands. His legs wobbled and he had a terrified expression like the mouth of a Magmortar’s cannon was aimed at his head.

“Are we the only ones invited?” Serena asked. Apart from her friends: Shauna, Trevor, Calem, and Tierno, there wasn’t any other graduate around. She expected at least ten of her previous classmates to turn up.

“Many invitations went, but I don’t think anyone else will show up.” Trevor said nervously, his legs still wobbling.

“If we’re the loser squad.” Shauna shrugged. “So be it.”

"Right there with ya,” Serena said. “So, Trevor, why did Tierno decide to challenge Calem?" she asked, convinced he was the one to instigate the battle. Of her several months of acquaintance with Calem, she had never known him to challenge trainers voluntarily. He only accepted the ones thrown at him.

"That's exactly what I had in mind," Shauna said. "Trevor, you said that you'd tell once Serena came. Now speak up." She pressed her forehead against his, glaring evilly. "I've waited long enough."

"Uh-uh, t-the thing is—" Trevor stammered.

"Quick or you gonna eat this." Shauna rolled her raised fist, threatening the lean boy. Serena knew it was all fun and games and Shauna would never hurt a Scatterbug, but it was still hilarious to watch Trevor's reaction every time she pretended to bully him.

"No, wait! I'll talk." Trevor held his arms in defense. "They are fighting for Serena!" he blurted out.

"What?" Serena and Shauna shared an exclaim. Their bewildered gazes met.

"What do you mean they are fighting for me?" Serena asked exasperatedly.

"Calem wanted to ask you to join him on his journey today. But even Tierno wanted the same, so he challenged Calem to a battle on the condition that the loser will walk out," Trevor said. His downcast expression exposed his guilt of revealing his friend's secret.

"Doesn't Tierno know that Calem is way beyond his skill level?" Shauna tipped her head. "Calem will wipe the floor without raising a single finger."

"He knows, that’s why he convinced Calem to give him a handicap. It's a two against one battle."

"Oh, I see." Shauna tapped her finger on her chin. "Hmm,” she nodded. “Makes sense. Our _fatso’s_ smart."

On hearing Trevor's account of transpired events, Serena stiffened her body, motionless like a century old banyan tree cemented in its position. Her throat closed and her clenched fist quivered, fingernails biting into her palms. She was ready to eviscerate Tierno for coming up with such a ridiculous proposition, and Calem for foolishly complying with it. She was not a commodity. A silly battle could not determine her choice, and neither was she interested in joining either of them. They lacked the minimum commonsense to consult her before they decided who was she going with. She had already promised Ash, and there was no way she was reconsidering her decision. She curled her lips, disgusted at the boys' actions. They miserably failed to understand her feelings.

“They won’t like what they’ll hear from Serena though,” Shauna said. She pulled Serena’s arm and brought her out of her raging rapture. “They are fighting a lost battle, aren’t they, Serena?” she asked innocently.

Serena flushed. “Y-yeah.” _Damn you, Shauna! You didn’t need to throw hints._

“Fighting a lost battle?” Trevor asked.

“No matter who wins. Serena isn’t going with them,” Shauna swatted the air.

“So, you’re not starting your journey this year also? Didn’t you say last week that you would start today?” Trevor asked.

Serena scowled at her brunette friend. Now she had to explain Trevor, a conversation she wanted to avoid at least until Ash arrived. She had no intentions of getting caught up in giving explanations to everyone.

Shauna nudged Serena with her elbow. “Just tell him, silly. They’ll have to find out eventually.”

Shauna was probably right. There was nothing to hide. Serena put on a smile and said, “I’m starting my journey this time, Trevor, but with another friend of mine. Not Calem or Tierno.”

“What!” Trevor exclaimed and caught his head, scurrying in circles. “Tierno will be so mad!”

Shauna grabbed Trevor’s collar and glared him in the eye. “Grow some balls, will you? You don’t need to fear him so much.”

“I-I’m not scared of him,” Trevor got rid of Shauna’s grasp. “I just don’t like to see him upset. He gets all moody and starts yelling. I can’t bear that noise.” Trevor covered his ears. “My ears hurt.”

“Yeah, that’s our Tierno, alright?” Shauna said as she stared at the final moments of the battle between their friends. “Never a calm moment when he’s around.”

The crowd got noisier and Serena’s heart raced faster. It wasn’t the result that bothered her, but how the boys would react once they heard from her. Despite Serena’s wish to verbally rip Tierno and Calem apart for betting on her, she did empathize with their perspective in a way. Tierno had been begging her to travel with his group for almost three years. Calem, though she knew him for less than a year, was interested in the same. So, naturally both would have wanted to invite her into their groups when they knew of her plan to start her journey.

The referee raised his arms and was ready to make his announcement. From the thick crowd and the distance, none of the three could make out the victor so all waited for the referee.

Serena was nervous while Shauna seemed curious.

"Both Pokémon are unable to continue. This battle is declared a tie."

"Phew," Serena exhaled in relief. “There goes one arrow.”

"Eh, I wish someone had won," Shauna whined, jerking her hands in a quick motion. “Now both will be equally disappointed. There’s no fun in that.”

"Shauna!" Serena glared.

“What? There’s nothing wrong in a friendly contest,” Shauna winked. “If a simple battle upsets you, what would you do if one of them asks you out?”

Serena quailed. This was a completely different playing field. Though she was aware of Tierno’s romantic interests in her, he only made advances and never outright said something straight. There were minor hints of Calem being interested in her too, but they weren’t as explicit as Tierno’s. Either way, Serena had her answer clear, but had no way of expressing it. She was too considerate to hurt their feelings. She rolled her eyes at a smirking Shauna and cursed her under her breath. _You had to put this in my head today of all days, you fucking bitch!_

“Bitch!” Shauna cried out.

“Hey!” Serena was about to pounce on her, but Shauna’s knowing scowl stopped her. She blushed. “How did you know?”

“You made that same face you make every time you curse me,” Shauna smirked.

Serena puffed her cheeks. Shauna burst out laughing.

"Hey, Serena," Tierno exclaimed, gaining the attention of the two girls. He danced in a twirl, got on his knee, and held Serena's hand. "You look beautiful today, my gorgeous." Right when he was about to kiss her hand, Serena recoiled, swiftly withdrawing her hand.

"Something wrong?" Tierno skewed his head.

"No," Serena said with a poker face. Her heart declined to confront Tierno for initiating that senseless battle. He was one of her oldest classmates and a good friend. She could not do that to him, no matter how outlandish his deeds were.

"I'll tell you what's wrong." Shauna squeezed Tierno's ear, twisting his helix, and pulling him up from his kneeled position.

"Ouch, that hurts! Please stop, Shauna! Ouch!" Tierno winced, trying to get rid of Shauna’s hold.

Shauna released her grip at Tierno's agonic cry. "You better apologize to her or you'll get more than a pinch," she threatened.

Serena was thankful to Shauna for taking a small load off her. That pinch she gave Tierno may not be enough of a punishment for his actions, but it satisfied Serena’s ego and she would accept that as justice.

"But why?" Tierno asked virtuously. He didn’t seem to understand the illogic behind his actions.

"Hello, Serena," Calem said, walking towards the group.

"H-hey Calem." Serena timidly waved.

The awkwardness meter in her body was crossing its limit. Ash’s arrival, her mom’s morning tease, still fresh in her mind, Shauna’s knowledge of her crush, and the fear of a slip-up from her, and finally, Calem and Tierno’s fight over her. The whole world seemed to revolve around her today. For a second, she wanted to flee to a secluded snowy mountain with no one around and breathe in the fresh cold air there. Okay, maybe breathe that same fresh cold air while she latched onto Ash’s arm. He was the most important person in her life today. She wanted all her problems to take a break for now and come back tomorrow. She could face them then. But was that the case? No! The nature acted wickedly and was bent on tormenting her, placing traps and hurdles at every juncture.

“Can we talk for a bit?” Calem asked.

Serena breathed in and breathed out, calming herself. She was ready to give Calem the truth. His question was evident and her answer was concrete. There was no need to prolong the obvious. “Yes, what is it?” 

“I wanted to—”

_Buzz! Buzz!_

“Excuse me,” Serena said. She pulled the vibrating smartphone out of her bag and checked the notification. It was a message from Ash. Her eyes lit up as she read its contents.

Ash: Hi, Serena, I've reched Kalos and I shuld be there at the acadmy in few minutes. Hope to see you there.

"I am sorry, Calem, but I can't talk right now. Can we do this later?" Serena hurried through her sentence. “I’ll see you’ll later, guys. Bye.” She waved at her friends and trotted towards the stands, close to the academy's entrance.

"Hey, wait!" She heard Shauna's voice but pretended it was lost in the myriad of rumpus around. She honestly didn't want to abandon her friends in the middle, but what could she do? Ash was to arrive in a few minutes and she didn't want to deal with Calem or any other nonsense which may crop up at the same time. Besides, Ash's message launched her into a different dimension of anxiety and had she been with her friends, they would've effortlessly spotted her jitters and would barrage her with canons of questions. She ultimately had to introduce Ash to them anyway, but it wasn’t going to be before her anxiety subsides. Avoiding them was the only alternative she found viable.

She read Ash’s message again and chuckled to herself. _He still hasn't learned to spell properly Well, at least he got my name right._ She quickly typed in her response to him.

Serena: Sure, Ash. I’m already at the academy. Please come inside, I'll be waiting.

Serena cruised towards the concrete stands, erected for students to watch battles at the academy. She dusted the seat on the lower stand and gingerly sat on it as to not ruin her new dress. She placed her bag to her side and stole a quick glance at her friends. She tried to avoid all eye contact, but unfortunately, Shauna caught her and flashed a sly smirk.

Serena flicked her head away—the inner message behind that gesture was as transparent as rainwater. She hoped Shauna would stay by her word and keep her mouth zipped.

She checked the time on her smartphone—three minutes since Ash's text.

_Ahh, why can't the time fly faster?_ Impatience overwhelmed her and the time moving at a lethargic pace. She waited for over eight years to meet Ash, but these last few minutes were the most laborious to elapse.

She attempted to calm her stirred nerves by clutching and toying with her smartphone in hand, but it wasn't too fruitful. She was meeting him after so long; probably even a tranquilizer couldn't calm her elevated hype.

She incessantly tapped her unrestrained feet and tried to fritter time, but every strike her foot thumped, it took a hundred years for the next one to follow.

She took her backpack, placed it in her lap, wrapped her arms around it, and drummed her fingers on it. The playground brimmed with yelling and scampering children. They were about a hundred-odd of them. All belonged, or seemed to belong, to ages between eight and twelve. They formed various groups among themselves, interacting with each other. Some of the curious few surrounded an invited graduate from her friends.

She would've probably relished this pleasant visual distraction owing to her eternal love for kids, but her pounding heart mercilessly invaded her mind—it refrained her from any bleak solace. With every beat of her heart, her restlessness raised exponentially.

She bit her red pillowy lips and flipped her smartphone to check the time, again—five minutes since Ash's text.

The delayed movement of the clock only frustrated her further. She fidgeted with her long fingernails, scrapping the glossy pink paint off them. Maybe this could sidetrack her.

Amidst her bustling turmoil, she heard a soft whisper in her head. She instantly knew who it was.

_"Psst, Serena."_ Her suppressed sassy subconscious spoke.

_"What?"_ she answered to herself.

_"Did you think of how you'll greet Ash? You’re meeting him after so long, shouldn’t there be something special?"_ she stressed on the word special.

_"Not really, what's there to greet him with? I'll just… you know, I'll just… I’ll just… say hi? No. I don't know."_

_"Thought so. You’re all talk and no walk."_

_"Huh? All right, if you are so smart, then why don’t you tell me, how I should greet him?"_

_"Hug him, silly. Show him all the love you've been hiding all these years."_

_"What? I am not doing that."_

_"But why? I know you want to."_

_"No, thank you very much."_

_“We both know how you feel about him."_

_"Yeah, you may know how I feel about him. But I’m not getting touchy with him. Ash doesn’t like that.”_

_“No Guy, I mean, not one straight and healthy guy on this planet won’t like to be hugged by a girl. That’s the nature’s law, even your great Ash can’t change it. You should know, Tierno tried that many times with you, didn't he?"_

" _Yeah, but he was never successful."_

" _No need to tell me that, I've been there. So, back to the topic, tell me: are you going to hug him or not?"_

" _I don't know, it sounds too… clingy, maybe? No, desperate. Yes, it sounds desperate."_

" _Aren't you?"_

" _What do you mean, huh?"_

" _Aren't you desperate to see him?"_

" _Uh, maybe a little, but that holds no reason to go hug him."_

" _What about a kiss, then?"_

" _Shut up!"_

" _Just a piece of advice. A kiss can be significantly more effective, just so you now."_

" _Get—Out—Of—My—Head! Now!"_

" _All right, don’t shout, I am leaving. But remember my suggestion. If not a kiss then at least a hug. Don't miss this chance. I am sure he won't mind. Bye!"_

Serena breathed out in relief; fighting her own self can certainly be vexing. But was her subconscious right? Should she greet him with such affection? Well, she can't simply shake his hand and say: 'glad to see you again, Ash.' That would be lame, even for her reserved standards. But what if she hugged him and he hated getting all touchy? That would be even more disastrous. But what if he doesn't mind and she missed her only chance? Who knew when she would get such an opportunity again? Sure, they were going to travel together, but that did not mean she would get to hug him every time. He certainly would want his own space. Yes, sassy Serena was right, she wouldn't find a better opportunity than this. She was meeting him after eight long years; she sure deserved one hug at the very least. Yes, she should do it. She giddily tightened her wrap around her back.

_Boom!_ An ear-cracking explosion shook the ground and the stands Serena sat on.

* * *


	7. Crisis Begins

Ash stretched his arms and took a deep breath of the ambrosial Kalos air. It’s been a few minutes since he and Gary exited the Lumiose City International Airport after collecting Pikachu at the Pokémon counter.

Following the security’s directed route, the tourist trio strolled through the city's grand road—a sinless black ribbon, clean with no flecks or any earthly smudges. Cobblestone pavements barricaded either sides of the road which hostaged ornate benches and antique styled lamp-posts successively. It gloated the city’s exquisite maintenance.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?” Ash asked as he devoured the sterile breeze grazing his face. “The air tastes kind of sweet, right, buddy?”

**“You said it.”**

“The cleanliness was so high, that the air is carrying the pollen’s taste. It’s surprising that we are in a city.” Gary peered around. There weren’t many citizens in the vicinity, but few weird robotic machines. Gary pointed towards them. “They should be responsible for such clean air. Their bodies are vacuum cleaners and their heads suck in all the pollutants and dust particles. A genius invention for a chaotic city.”

“Wow!” Ash gaped at the robots with sparkling eyes. Pikachu too joined him in his admiration. The robots were bulky and were about three of them hovering on the pavements. As they passed over a spot, they collected every microscopic litter with their vacuum pipes sticking out of their bodies. They mostly collected fallen leaves and dust. There was a long band of placid trees dividing the road into two lanes, and there was one Spruce tree after every three benches on the sidewalk. Leaf litter must be these robots’ main concern here.

“Look, Pikachu,” Ash ran ahead with Pikachu towards the few lurching citizens. They had their Pokémon out, and each one was a new feast to Ash’s eyes. Not even Assumption Island had these species.

“Ash, wait!”

There were three middle aged women each with a different Pokémon. Upon Ash’s interest they introduced them as Furfrou, Spritzee, and Swirlix. But as Ash wanted to know further about their Pokémon, a double-decker bus arrived and the three ladies climbed on it.

“When will you stop running away like that? This is a new place for me too.”

“Sorry, Gary. There were these new Pokémon that I saw, but before I got to know them, their trainers left,” Ash said with a downcast expression. He wanted to know more about those Pokémon.

**“Yeah, they were pretty cool looking,”** Pikachu said, but to Gary it might have sounded like the word _Pika_ on repeat.

“Tell me something I haven’t heard before,” Gary shook his head facing the ground.

“We need to find our way to Professor Sycamore’s Lab somehow. Serena must be waiting for me,” Ash said.

Gary threw his arm around Ash. “That’s right!” he grinned. “Our talk on the plane clear some of your brain’s rust, ey?”

“Nothing like that. She told me that she’d wait for me and the sooner I meet her, the sooner I can get my gym battle too.” Ash balled his fist. “I haven’t had one since Hoenn.”

“Kill yourself, dipshit,” Gary muttered under his breath, but Ash heard that.

**“What talk, Ash?”** Pikachu asked him.

“N-nothing important, Pikachu. Just a simple talk,” Ash sweatdropped. He turned to Gary who was ogling at a young lady in shorts on a scooter with the eyes of a sleazy judge in a beauty contest. Ash punched Gary in the gut.

“Son of a bi—”

“Stop right there before I break your teeth,” Ash warned, rolling his fist.

“I wasn’t gonna finish that even if you wanted me to,” Gary groaned, rubbing his punched spot.

“Good,” Ash said. He had no problem with people cursing around him, even if those curses were directed at him. He came to accept this sin as an inevitable part of life, but involving his mom in those curses was one fine line even his friends aren’t allowed to cross. “Anyway, you know the way to Professor’s lab, don’t you?”

“Of course.” Gary jutted his chin. “I just need someone to point me in the right direction,” Gary half-shrugged, shoving his hand in his pocket.

"So, you don't know." Ash sighed with a slouch. "I thought you knew everything, Gare-bear."

"How do you expect me to know about a place I haven't visited before?" Gary said. "Would you happen to know the map of every region you visit? Oh, shoot," he raised his index finger. "You can't read a map, can you?" he mocked with a smirk.

"He-he, that, you are right." Ash foolishly rubbed his head. "We should ask someone, then." He inspected his surroundings to find a savior. He found the closest to be a duo sitting on a bench, a few yards away from them. "Look, there are two people over there."

Ash was about to race forward, but Gary held his collar from behind.

"What's wrong?"

"Look closely, Ashy-boy, but not too close." Gary grinned mischievously. “This is what I was talking about back on the plane.”

Ash adhered to Gary and peeked closer towards the pair. His jaw dropped at the sight. A young couple was vehemently spooning each other without any care in the world. Even the passing cyclists didn’t seem to care much.

Ash tossed his head aside and cringed. "Yuck! Why would they do such stuff in public?"

"Ha-ha." Gary cackled. "This is Kalos Ash, the region of love as they call it. You'll probably see a lot of such scenes while you’re here, so be prepared."

"Argh!" Ash groaned. "Isn't that supposed to be private?"

"What’s your problem with what they do? Forget it, let's find someone else," Gary said and scouted.

There weren’t any pedestrians around since most of the public either used a bicycle or a motorcycle. They were a few cars they’ve encountered, but they weren’t as many as a city should have.

“There,” Ash pointed at a young blonde girl on the sidewalk. She was skipping her steps, following the checkered pattern, and bounding forward.

"Yes, let’s ask that kid. She seems like she’s from around here."

They sprinted towards the said girl before they lost sight of her. When they reached behind her, they heard her hum as she alternately jumped from one square white square to another.

"Hey!" Gary called, ceasing the girl's tracks.

"Huh?" the girl spun towards them. She appeared about seven or eight years old. She tied her blonde hair tied into a single ponytail and held it with a single clip. A yellow sling bag dangled around her shoulder, which bore a small orange color Pokémon inside.

“Ash, I got this,” Gary said. He swiveled his messenger bag around and pulled out a medium sized book. It was an English to Kalosian tourist language guide. By the crippled state of the book, Ash assumed that Gary must have visited an antique store and asked for the oldest and cheapest thing they had, and the store owner, to get rid of this book, offered it to Gary for free. He flipped the half-torn pages of the book. “Watch and learn.”

“Gary, I think this is a mistake. We better ask her if she can understand before you begin to show off,” Ash said. He had a premonition that the situation might not end well for his friend.

“Shut up, Ash. You’re too dumb for this shit.” Gary continued flipping the pages. The young girl was holding her patience by tapping her foot. She had her arms folded and eyes squinted.

_“Ha! Mon nom est Gary.”_ Gary said as he read from the book. _“Il est Ash et c'est Pikachu. Nous venons du Kanto donc nous sommes nouveaux ici. O_ _ù_ _est le laboratoire du Professeur Sycamore?”_ He triumphantly grinned exposing his teeth and flashed a thumbs up at Ash. “Nailed it, brother!”

Ash facepalmed. That sounded like gibberish. Grammatically, Gary may have been spot on, thanks to that book, but his pronunciation was horrendous. Serena never sounded like Gary whenever she playfully spoke in Kalosian to annoy him.

The young girl remained silent. She made a calling gesture to Gary, asking him to stoop to her level.

Gary smiled and bent to the girl’s height. _“Oui!”_

She smacked her fist on his head.

“Argh!” Gary caught his head in pain. “Why’d you do that, you little witch.”

The girl puffed her cheeks. “If you don’t know how to speak our language, then don’t. Why ruin it with your stupid accent?” she said and held her hips. “Not even one word you said sounded like Kalosian.”

Ash and Pikachu couldn’t control their laughter. Ash shoved Gary to the side and mocked at his defeated look. Gary was breathing noisily like he wanted to strangle that little kid.

“You deserved it,” Ash laughed. He squatted to the girl’s height and held an open palm out. “That was awesome.”

“Of course,” the girl hi-fived Ash. “Your friend lacks common sense.”

“Hey! I thought people in Kalos love culture and speak Kalosian. How would I know that they don’t? Sorry, I didn’t dream about it last night,” Gary grumbled. He turned his body away from both Ash and the little girl.

The little girl looked up to Gary. “You’ve never took history lessons at school, did you? People talked in that language when my grand-dad was of my age. Now it’s only used in art and literature.”

“You, tiny brat!” Gary gritted his teeth, rolling his head in the girl’s direction.

“Ey, don’t call me tiny. I’ll use my birthday money to hire goons to beat you up,” the girl raised a threatening finger.

“Yeah? Bring it on. I’ll use my hard-earned money to buy those goons off you,” Gary accepted the challenge and marched fearlessly towards the girl.

Ash stopped Gary in his tracks. “She is a kid, Gary. You wanna fight a kid?”

“Then tell her to act like one. She doesn’t know who I am, yet she hit me.” Gary rubbed the spot where he was smacked.

“You started it. Who asked you to show off?” the girl raised a valid point.

“You—”

“—Enough, Gary,” Ash held Gary at bay, preventing him from pouncing on the little girl. Technically, it was Gary’s fault for trying to be a smartass. He could have simply asked for directions and be done. “You’ve had your turn, now let me handle this.”

Ash turned to the girl and smiled. “I’m sorry for my friend there. I’m Ash, this is Pikachu here, and you are?” he extended a friendly hand. Pikachu looked at her cheerfully.

The girl shook Ash’s hand. “Hi, Ash and Pikachu. I’m Bonnie and he is my friend, Dedenne,” she opened her sling bag and showed a sleeping Pokémon. She rolled her eyes at Gary. “See, so simple.”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever,” Gary snapped his gaze away.

Ash laughed. “I like you, Bonnie. Please don’t pay any attention to him, the nurse in the hospital dropped him on his head as a child.”

“Why am I not surprised?” Bonnie said.

“Ash!” Gary groaned.

“You wanna fight over that detail or ask her what we came here to ask?”

“The latter,” Gary grumbled.

Ash faced Bonnie again. “Now, Bonnie, could you please direct us to Professor Sycamore’s lab?” Ash scratched his head. “You see, we’re kind of lost here.”

“Sure, I’ll take you there, but before that—” she clasped her hands. “Can I please pet your Pikachu?” stars sparkled in her eyes like she was looking at a mountain made of dark chocolate.

Ash looked at his partner on his shoulder. Pikachu nodded. “Sure, Pikachu would like that.”

Ash’s electric type leaped from his shoulder to Bonnie’s.

Bonnie held him with both arms and pressed her face lovingly into Pikachu’s fur. “Aww, your Pikachu is so cute!” She wiggled her head sunk in Pikachu’s fur. “You’re the softest Pokémon I ever touched, Pikachu,” she giggled.

“Will you show us the way now, kid?” Gary asked bitterly.

Bonnie broke her cuddle with Pikachu. “I will,” she said. She returned Pikachu to Ash. “Thanks, Ash. You have the bestest Pikachu.” She spun around and marched forward. “Now follow me!”

A few minutes into their walk, Ash broke his silence. “Bonnie, how come you have a Pokémon when you’re not old enough?”

“She must have robbed it from somewhere,” Gary muttered under his breath.

“Oh, that. Dedenne is not my Pokémon; actually, he belongs to my brother. He allowed me to take care of him until I’m old enough to be Dedenne’s trainer.”

“That’s interesting,” Ash said.

“So, Ash and Gary, are you both Pokémon trainers?”

"Yes, we are." Ash grinned.

"Uooh, so you came to challenge the Kalos league?" Bonnie asked enthusiastically. "The league here is so awesome. Last year, one of my friend's friend came in second. I don't like him so much though, but I was happy to get special seats for the final because of him." She giggled.

"Well, I am sure your friend's friend is a strong trainer to come in second. And yes, I came here to challenge the Kalos League, but Gary here came to work under Professor Sycamore."

"Just that, Ashy-boy?" Gary flung his arm over Ash and waggled his brows.

Ash flinched. Gary sure knew how to remove the threads off a tight rope. Well, on the bright side, his annoyance with Bonnie seemed to have evaporated with this topic. He was back to his usual spirits. "Ah, that and to meet an old friend of mine."

"Who is he? Maybe I know. I know so many people in this city, almost all of them. My daddy is very popular here, he introduces me to everybody."

"It is not he but she. Her name is Serena Yvonne," Ash said.

Bonnie paused her walk and spun towards Ash. "What? You are Serena's friend?"

"You know her?" Gary pushed his face forward.

"Obviously, I know her,” Bonnie said ever so casually, spreading her arms open. “She is my bestest friend in this world. If you two are her friends, then you are now my friends too," she said. “I’m sorry for hitting you before, Gary.”

“Hmm, since you apologized, it’s alright I guess,” Gary said.

"Yay!” Bonnie jumped on her toes. “I made two new friends today! No, three new friends including Pikachu.”

"Ha-ha, we are glad to be your friends, Bonnie," Ash said smiling at Bonnie’s overzealous personality. She remined him of his childhood when he was just as enthusiastic as her. "I am sure Pikachu is happy too, isn't that right buddy?"

" **I’m always happy to make any new friends."**

Bonnie nodded with an open grin. "Does Serena know you’re coming to meet her, Ash? She never told me she had foreign friends, but that's okay. I got to meet you all, anyway."

"She knows, she told me to come straight to the lab."

"That's impossible, Ash. Serena is very lazy and doesn't wake up this early," Bonnie tilted her head and tapped her chin. "When did she tell you that?"

Ash sweat dropped. "Umm, right before we boarded the plane."

"So, you didn't contact her after landing in Kalos?"

Gary slapped Ash's back. "Yeah, Ashy-boy, why didn't you call her?"

"I-I guess I forgot." Ash blushed sheepishly. "Wait, I’ll message her now." He pulled out his PokéNav and typed in a message. "Here, done!"

"This should wake her up now," Bonnie said.

"Is she that lazy?" Gary asked with a raised brow.

Bonnie spread her palms out and shook her head. "You have no idea, mister."

"Look, she replied." Ash read the message. "She is already at the lab and wants me to come there. Maybe she isn't too lazy after all,” Ash smirked at Bonnie.

"Hmm, strange. She was never—"

"Hey what is that?" Ash exclaimed eying a tall sophisticated metal tower piercing the sky. It was conical in shape and easily measured around a thousand feet. The tower's lofty height reflected the colossal vision of its maker. Ash stood gaping at it, absorbing the magnificent spectacle.

"That… is… amazing," Gary fixed his gaze at the ravish structure.

" **Gary is right Ash, it really is amazing."**

"It is," Ash said, transfixed in fascination. The tower emulated the embodiment of human ingenuity—a marvel of a sight to witness.

"That is the Prism Tower." Bonnie folded her arms and smirked. "My brother was one of the chief engineers who built it," she said rather nonchalantly.

"What?" Gary, Ash, and Pikachu shrieked together.

“You heard me right," Bonnie said. "My brother is bad at many things, but building machines is his specialty. Have you seen those robotic vacuum cleaners before?”

“Yes.”

“He made them too,” Bonnie said. “You should meet him. He should be here somewhere." She whirled her gaze around with a finger between her teeth. "He told me he had to fix something.”

"That's so awesome. I'd love to meet him." Ash's eyes twinkled. "You heard that Gary?"

"I'd like to meet him, too. He must be quite talented to build such impressive machinery."

"There he is!" Bonnie yelled and scampered towards a blond boy dressed in a mundane blue jumpsuit.

Ash and Gary ran after Bonnie.

"Clemont!" Bonnie waved at the boy as he rummaged through his tool kit. He stood near a defected lamp post trying to fix it. There were various wires falling out of the post’s pole as the apparent engineer tried to fix it.

"What are you doing here, Bonnie? Don't you have tuition now?" Bonnie’s brother, Clemont said. He seemed to be around Ash’s age, but the round glasses on his face made him seem older than his actual age.

"I bunked, brother dear," Bonnie grinned mischievously. "Don't tell daddy, please."

"What should I even do with you?" Clemont slammed his palm against his forehead. "Fine, I won't tell dad, but promise me you won't do it again."

"I don't want to lie to you, Clemont." Bonnie shook her head.

Clemont sighed. "At least don't do it too often?"

"I'll try, but no promises." Bonnie wiggled her finger.

"Won’t you introduce your brother to us, Bonnie?" Ash asked. He waited behind her to finish her conversation with her genius sibling.

"Oh, right," Bonnie said. "Clemont, meet my new friends Ash and Gary." She introduced the duo to her brother. "And that is Pikachu, Ash's Pokémon. Isn't he just cute?"

"Hello, Ash and Gary." Clemont shook the duo's hands. Ash observed his grip shiver as he shook it. "That is one fine Pikachu you got there, Ash."

"He is. Are you all right, Clemont? You seem a little nervous to me," Ash remarked.

"I-I am doing good, thank you. He-he, just a little tired I guess." Clemont precipitated profusely. "I am glad Bonnie is making new friends."

"My brother gets nervous around new people. He prefers to stay at home alone and work on his inventions," Bonnie said. "You should get out more often Clemont, otherwise how do you expect me to find you a good bride? Girls like strong and confident men." She put her hands on her hips.

"S-st-stop it, Bonnie. I told you many times before; I don't need your help." Clemont clenched his fist. "How did you all meet anyway?"

"I'll tell! I'll tell! I’ll tell!" Bonnie raised her hand and bounced on her feet like an excited student who knew the answer to the teacher's question.

"All right, Bonnie. You tell me."

"Ash here came to Kalos to meet Serena and challenge the league. Gary is here to work under Professor Sycamore."

"That's right," Gary said. "So, Clemont, Bonnie told us you built the Prism Tower. How did you do that, man? I mean, you look quite young and that tower must have taken years to build, right?"

"I didn't exactly build it. Bonnie here exaggerates everything." Clemont fixed his large round glasses. "I was on the team of engineers who built it. I only designed the interior electricity grid. While the rest were responsible with the actual build. It didn't take too long, though. The total project lasted only eight months. We completed it just under a year ago."

"That's awesome! You must be a genius, Clemont!" Ash exclaimed. " _Ouch!_ " he cried, rubbing his head where he felt a dull sting. He looked ahead to and found a blue Pokémon jumping from one tree to another. He seemed like the one who used his head as a base to leap. "Who’s that Pokémon?" Ash asked.

"Oh, that? It is the Lumiose City's famous Froakie, the _Blue Crusader_ ," Bonnie said.

"Famous?" Gary creased his brow. “The Blue Crusader?”

"Yes, you see, Froakie is one of the three starter Pokémon of Kalos. Many trainers choose this one since he was the strongest of the lot, but Froakie always abandoned the trainer and returned to the lab in under a week," Clemont said. "It happened over twenty times in three years, I heard. Therefore, about five years ago, the professor stopped offering him to trainers. From then on, Froakie roams around the City helping anyone in need. Seeing how he helps everyone, the city nicknamed him the Blue Crusader."

" _Uh-huh_ ," Bonnie nodded. "That's why he is famous."

"He helps people and Pokémon around the city? That's so cool," Ash said. "I want to meet him."

"If you are visiting the lab, then you probably will—”

_Boom!_

"What was that?" Gary asked as he recoiled at a loud explosion. Grey smoke clouds erupted from a building nearby.

"It is coming from Professor Sycamore's laboratory," Bonnie said hastily. "We should go check it out."

All of them agreed to Bonnie's suggestion and darted towards the lab.

* * *

“What the fuck?” Gary cried out. He was the first one to reach the spot.

Foggy fumes covered most of his vision. There wasn’t any fire around, but the temperature was close to the insides of a volcano and it smelled like burning coal. Many squelched coughs and cries of people came from behind the fumes, but its thickness didn’t allow Gary to get any glimpse of the victims inside. He tried to move in, but fine soot particles quickly entered his mouth and burned his chest.

_“Cough, cough,”_ he coughed violently like his lungs were set ablaze. He fell back. Black smoke swept over his face. His eyes burned and watered.

Ash and the rest had arrived and instantly experienced the same symptoms. Bonnie hid behind Clemont as he struggled to breathe.

Gary covered his mouth and threw his Pokéball out. “Fearow,”— _cough_ —“use Wing Attack” _—cough, cough_ —“and” _—cough, cough_ —”clear the smoke!”

Gary’s orange bird materialized and swiftly flapped his elongated wings. He created short bursts of fierce gusts and dissipated the polluted smoke.

The murkiness gradually cleared out, revealing a tall, bipedal, draconian Pokémon and a middle-aged man in a white lab coat. Garchomp was crying in agony and had a weird snare-like device clamped around its neck.

“Listen to me, Garchomp!” the man tried to control the huge beast. By the looks of it, he was the trainer who lost control of his Pokémon. All his attempts, rather than calming the dragon, enraged him.

"What happened, Professor?" Bonnie asked the man. "Why isn’t Garchomp listening to you?"

"Oh, Bonnie, Clemont." The professor recognized the siblings. "I don't know what's wrong. I just got here to begin with the Initiation Program, but as soon as Garchomp and I landed, someone attacked us and since then, I lost control of her.”

"Who did that?" Ash roared in anger. Gary expected that reaction from his friend. Ash always emulated the personality of a Pokémon guardian. The news of attack on Garchomp was right up Ash’s rage alley. “Who attacked Garchomp? Show yourselves! Now!”

"Are you all right, Professor?" A ginger-blonde girl hurried from inside. Gary, right away recognized her. He snapped his head towards Ash, his suppressed smile broke its shackles and radiated like a full moon; but the Raven-haired trainer abstained from any sound. The circumstances didn’t ideally favor a reunion to be honest.

"I am all right, Serena, but Garchomp isn’t," the Professor said.

"Serena!" Bonnie emphatically screamed.

"Hey, Bonni—" Serena's lips parted in surprise as she caught sight of Ash. "Ash?" she aspirated.

Gary grinned. No matter how dire the circumstances were, he wasn’t going to miss this moment. He was eager to see Ash’s reaction, but the dumbass successfully disappointed him again. Ash timidly waved his hand. "Hi, Serena—"

"Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!" A peal of loud laughter echoed from behind the conical trees. A Meowth shaped hot-air balloon surfaced into the sky. Gary scowled in disdain as he anticipated a worthless motto.

"Prepare for trouble!"

"And make it double!"

"To protect the world from devastation."

"To unite all people within our nation."

"To denounce the evils of truth and love."

"To extend our reach to the stars above."

"Jessie."

"James."

"Team Rocket blasts off at the speed of light."

"Surrender now, or prepare to fight."

"Meowth! That's right," Meowth exclaimed, jumping right in front of the Duo.

"Wobbuffet," a blue blob-like Pokémon saluted.

"You three?" Ash snarled. Gary wasn’t surprised that the act of terror on Garchomp was by these three. They were Ash’s arch nemeses and would follow him to the ends of earth. It was but natural that they appeared the day Ash landed in Kalos. "What do you want this time?"

“Pika Pika Pika Pi Pika Pi?” Pikachu grunted from his trainer's shoulder.

"You know them, Ash?" Clemont asked. He dragged Bonnie behind him and held a Pokéball out in defense.

"Yes,” Ash said. "They are thieves who try to steal Pokémon from trainers. They've been after Pikachu and me since the day I began my journey."

As Ash explained the identity of the idiot-three, the students from the academy and a few curious citizens swarmed into the scene. They eventually formed into an unruly crowd with their disruptive shrieks and cries. The children especially were horrified by the rumpus. A few cried in fear while the brave few hid behind the adults.

Ash coyly peeked at Serena, but Gary caught his flitting gaze. A brunette and three other boys joined her. They seemed like her friends. One of them, the stout one, called his Blastoise out and helped to put out the fire on the trees and lab. The other three were on guard with their Pokéballs, ready to prevent any serious escalation.

"Hey looik Jess, the twoip’s ‘ere," Meowth gestured towards Ash.

"Oh, so we finally see you again." Jessie held her waist and tucked her chin inwards. "Ha-ha-ha-ha, don't you worry twerp, we are not after your Pikachu for now. We want that Garchomp." She pointed towards the Mach Pokémon. "Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!"

“Pikachu can wait for another day. Today, it’s Garchomp we’re after." James said. He had a remote with a red button in his hand. "He is now in our control."

“It’s aoi _she,_ Jimmy,” Meowth said.

“Hu?” James tilted his head. Meowth nodded. “Then, _she_ is now in our control,” James pushed the red button.

With the click of the button, the device around Garchomp's collar emitted several static sparks. The pseudo-legendry’s aggravation intensified. She cried painfully and fired hyper beams into the air. The people shivered and crowed away from the dragon.

"Yoiu said it would woik Jimmy," Meowth said. "What 'append?"

"I-I d-don't know, Meowth. I guess this Garchomp is too strong for our device." James shivered as he tinkered with the remote in his hand.

The device around Garchomp’s neck glowed. Garchomp cried again and fired rapid Dragon Rages in air. The people around cowered in fear, pushing each other, trying to flee before one of those Dragon Rages hit them.

A few adults escaped, but more adults scurried in, and in the gamble, they unknowingly pushed and hurt several children. Serena and her friends took responsibility and gathered the children away from the growing stampede.

“You three, get down right now!” Ash ordered, but his words made no effect. The Team Rocket trio were in their own world.

Jessie kicked James in his face and grunted. "Do something, you idiot."

"I'm-I'm trying Jess." James shuddered.

_Vroom!_ A defeating noise of a motorcycle drift resounded at the entrance gate. Officer Jenny stepped down her motorcycle and rushed to the scene. "What happened? I came as soon as I got the call.”

"It's those three, officer." Gary aimed his finger at Team Rocket. "They used some device on Garchomp and now she’s out of control."

"J-J-Jess." Meowth shivered. "Looiks loike we in troiuble."

"James!" Jessie yelled with protruded eyes.

"Watch out!" Ash pushed Officer Jenney aside. She fell on her back, but was saved from a violent Dragon Pulse headed her way. The bush behind her was left in ashes. "You all right, officer?"

"Yes, thank you, young man," Jenney said. She got to her feet and analyzed the current situation and from the circumstantial evidence she witnessed, she seemed to extrapolate the rest.

Officer Jenny drew the black baton secured to her waist and aimed it at the Rocket Trio. "You three, I’m holding you’ll under arrest for creating a terrorist attack in an educational institution and disrupting public harmony. By the power vested in me by the Kalos Law Enforcement, I order you to come down right now!"

"They won't listen like that, officer," Ash said. "Pikachu, Thunder—" before he finished his command, a hyper beam from Garchomp set the trio flying into space.

"Team Rocket is blasting off again!" they screamed as they flew into oblivion.

"Wobbuffet!"

"Well, that took care of them," Bonnie deadpanned. "But how to stop Garchomp?" she said as the dragon took off the ground, headed in the direction of the Prism Tower. “She’s going towards the city.”

"If she rampages there, the death count would be huge," Gary cried in horror.

As the crowd heard Gary, they multiplied their shrieks. They skittered around like Rattatas running in fear of an Arbok.

Officer Jenney got on her duty and tried to contain their panic, but wasn’t faring too well. The public was out of control.

The Professor along with Serena and her friends started organizing the children in lines, away from the terror-stricken crowd. It was harder than Officer Jenny’s task. None of the children probably witnessed such large-scale destruction before. They cried their lungs out in fear, calling for their parents. With the help of a few older children, Serena, and her friends somehow managed to curb the younger ones, guiding them away from the public.

“Everybody, please stop right where you are and listen to me,” Officer Jenny yelled through a loudspeaker. The crowd stopped dead in their tracks. “I understand the gravity of the situation here. I have informed the headquarters and the backup is arriving soon. We are working on taking control of the situation as we speak, until then I want all your support and patience. Can You’ll keep your faith in us?”

The crowed clapped happily and agreed. They calmed their ruckus knowing that the situating was being handled.

“Okay, since Garchomp is headed towards the city, I assume this is a safe place for now. I want all of you’ll to stay here while the force arrives,” Officer Jenny said.

The crowd formed an organized group and waited for further instructions. They didn’t ask any question nor fought with each other. They followed Officer Jenny’s orders like they’ve been trained for such unexpected situations. Serena and her friends too finished with their head-count of the children. None were missing nor critically injured.

“Officer Jenny!” Ash called. The female officer left the crowd and came towards Ash. Gary, Clemont, and Bonnie also joined. “We can’t any waste time waiting for support. Garchomp will destroy most of the city by then.”

“I agree, young man, but I had to tell the citizens something to stop their panic. I made the call to HQ. It would take at least two hours for the Pokémon Rangers to arrive. The fire service has already dispatched all their force to some other accident up north. It would take at least four hours for that to arrive. I hardly have any support from other officers,” Officer Jenny wiped her sweat with her handkerchief. “We’ve never been caught in such a defenseless situation before. I’m helpless.”

“Then let us help you,” Ash said.

“What can you kids do?”

“Trust me,” Ash smiled. “I know what I’m doing.”

For some reason Officer Jenny seemed transfixed into Ash’s confident eyes. “U-uh, all right.”

“Clemont, do you know how to stop Garchomp?” Ash asked.

"According to my calculations, the device around Garchomp’s neck is the cause for her rage. It has to be destroyed if you want to stop her.”

"Lemme take care of that." Ash tightened his fists. He said the unspoken words that this was his territory and there was no way he was failing. It was the Ash Ketchum moment. “Gary, cover the ground. Protect the people."

“Right!” There was no stopping Ash here. He and his team are experts at handling such situations and following him was the best course of action.

Ash took out a Pokéball and materialized a Pokémon.

“Wartortle!” Squirtle’s evolved form appeared. He was about to do an acrobatic feat, but when he realized his surroundings he stood to attention. “War Wartortle?” he asked.

“Use him and your Blastoise and any other water-type you can find. There shouldn’t be any fire.”

“Done!” Gary said. Wartortle also nodded with a salute.

“Officer Jenney, I hope you can use the help of citizens to evacuate other citizens.”

“Yes, I think that can be done.”

Gary was surprised on how quick Ash was processing and allocating tasks. Was he the same Ash Ketchum before his mysterious training, he’d have forgotten all this and ran after Garchomp. Now he was using his mind more than his instincts.

"What about you, Ash?" Clemont asked. “What are you planning to do?”

Ash raised his head towards the Prism Tower and declared: "I’m going to stop Garchomp." He asked his yellow partner on his shoulder, "you ready, buddy?"

“Pika Pika Pi Pika Pikachu, Pika!”

“Forakie Fro,” the Froakie from before leaped from a tree to Ash’s other shoulder. He had the same determined look as Ash and Pikachu.

"You wanna join in too?" Ash asked the blue frog, to which he nodded. "All right then. Pidgeot, I choose you," he yelled and hurled a Pokeball in the air.

A huge golden shiny golden bird materialized out. The gathered crowd instantly forgot the seriousness of the situation and awed in amazement at the stunning Pokémon. It wasn’t everyday they got to see a rare bird like Pidgeot, that too in its shiny form.

Pidgeot gave a flap of her wings, dazzling the crowd again. Some even started clicking pictures of the magnificent bird.

"Are you sure you want to do this, young man?" Officer Jenny asked as she tapped her baton in her palm. “You could be putting your life at risk.”

"Don’t worry, officer," Ash said and got on his bird with Pikachu and Froakie perched on his shoulders. He gave a quick glance towards Serena. "I'll meet you once I come back."

"Let's go Pidgeot." Ash tapped Pidgeot’s head and took off in a blink.

"Ash, no!" Serena ran after him.

"Is that kid crazy?" Professor Sycamore grasped his head with his palms.

"Serena, stop!" Gary grasped Serena's hand before she ran after Ash and did something regrettable.

"Leave me!" Serena jerked Gary's hand off. "Who the fuck are you?" she snapped at him.

"I guess you forgot, huh? Never mind, does the name Gary Oak ring any bells?" Gary scratched his temple.

Serena's diluted pupils dilated. "Ga-Gary?" she gasped.

"You remembered." Gary gave a weak chuckle. "Listen, I know how important Ash is to you, but—" He held Serena's shoulders and stared into her. "You can't stop him. No one can at this point. He has been in such situations before and believe we when I say this: he knows what he is doing. He will be safe."

Serena took a second’s pause. She had her head bowed and two slim lines of tears trickled down her cheek. _Damn, Ash! you lucky bugger. Your chick looks pretty, even when upset. Don’t die at least for her sake now._

“Will he be okay?” Serena softly asked. Her moistened eyes appeared like blue glassy mirrors reflecting the morning light.

"As long as he has his Pokémon, he will be fine," Gary smiled. He had known Ash to handle graver situations before—this was cinch compared to any of that.

"Young man, who is he and who are you?" Professor Sycamore asked. He regained his lost senses. It was tough to keep up when it was his Pokémon who’s responsible for this chain of events.

"I am Gary Oak, Professor, and I am here for the internship," Gary said. "And that is my friend, Ash Ketchum."

"Oh, so you are Professor Oak's grandson?"

Gary nodded at the professor's question. "Professor, I could talk to you all day, but right now, I have things to do," Gary hurriedly said. He materialized his Umbreon, Blastoise, and Alakazam.

"What are you doing?" Serena asked. She had her hands clasped together.

"Didn't you hear Ash? We need to protect the people, evacuate them. Garchomp might destroy the buildings along with the people stuck in them," Gary said. “Officer, may I?”

“Please, go ahead.”

Gary noticed the teenagers standing behind Serena. "Are they your friends?"

Serena nodded and quickly introduced her friends to Gary.

"Guys, I can't do this alone, so I need your cooperation," Gary said. "You’ll think you can help me?"

Serena and her friends accepted with no hesitance; their city was in trouble, after all. The swelled commotion of the crowd slowly simmered down, all getting attentive to what Gary had to say.

"All right then, who all of you have water types with you?"

"I do!" Tierno said. He pointed towards his Blastoise, who had finished putting of the nearby fire.

"I want you to take my Blastoise along and follow Ash's Wartortle's lead. Put off any fire around the city," Gary said. "You okay with that, big guy?"

"Blastoise!" Gary's Blastoise nodded in affirmation.

"Hold on." Tierno wrinkled his nose. "Why should I follow an unevolved Pokémon's lead? My Blastoise and I can take charge," he smirked in overconfidence, directing a thumb towards his fully evolved water type.

Gary gritted his teeth. "Tierno, was it?" he said coldly.

"Yes, that's my name."

Gary grabbed Tierno's collar, pulled him closer, and scowled into his face. "Listen to me, you punk, this is no time to flaunt your skills. Ash's Wartortle is an experienced firefighter and there is no shame in following his lead. If you think he is weak just because he is unevolved, then think again. He can make you and your Blastoise drink a hundred gallons of water, should he wish to do so. You understand?" Gary said that without skipping a beat. He himself was proud of the fierce persona he emulated.

"Ye-yes." Tierno stuttered.

"Good, now go; do as I said."

"Come on, Blastoise, we have a job." Tierno sprinted towards the city with both Blastoises behind.

"Wartortle, please take charge," Gary said.

Wartortle acknowledged Gary with a salute and put his dark glasses on. "War Wartortle!" He raised his hand up and rushed behind Tierno.

Officer Jenny gasped, recognizing the glasses on Wartortle. "Is he?"

"Yes, the same one," Gary said with a smirk. "Officer, I know I am not in charge of anything here, but would you be kind enough and control the public?"

"Sure, young man. I am on it." Jenny went towards her motorcycle. She had her loudspeaker ready in her hand.

"Now, how many of you guys have flying types on you?" Gary asked.

"I-I do." Trevor reluctantly raised his hand up, staggered by Gary's temper towards Tierno. He called his Charizard out.

"I have my Braviary." Calem materialized his flying type.

"All right, I want you guys to take my Fearow along with you and rescue any citizens stuck in buildings." Gary glanced towards the city. A few buildings were already on fire. Garchomp was not holding back. "There seems to be quite a lot."

Calem and Trevor got on their respective Pokémon and flew towards the city, followed by Gary's Fearow.

"Alakazam, you know what to do."

"Alakazam." The Psi Pokémon teleported to get to work.

"Clemont, I want you to send Bonnie inside with the kids and then join me after that.”

"No! I'm coming with Clemont," Bonnie protested adamantly.

"You don't get to choose, Bonnie," Gary said with a straight face. He had anticipated the girl to retaliate.

"I'll take care of her," Clemont interjected and took hold of Bonnie's hand and moved towards the gathered kids.

"Umbreon, you are coming with me." Gary faced Serena and Shauna. "Girls, it's your call if you want to help."

Shauna and Serena met each other's eyes and nodded together. "We'll help. Tell us what to do."

"Call your Pokémon out. We will help the citizens stuck in the streets."

"Okay." Serena concurred and called her Fennekin out while Shauna materialized her Ivyasaur.

"Let's go and save the city!" Gary punched the air and bolted towards Prism Tower with his Umbreon. Shauna and Serena followed behind.

* * *


	8. Crisis Continues

"We should stop Garchomp before she turns the city into a graveyard," Ash said through his bared teeth. The dragon type dashed towards the Prism Tower firing random Dragon Pulses and Hyper Beams at every structure on her way.

Ash browsed below: several buildings have already collapsed, citizens scurried in fear, flames on shops and trees rampantly spread among themselves. A lawless uproar ignited in the city. _Hope Gary and the other will handle things below._

Ash gently patted his bird. "Faster, Pidgeot. No more holding back."

Pidgeot's training at the Assumption Island had helped her achieve monstrous speeds most Pokémon only dreamt of, and Ash was well aware of that. Pidgeot accelerated and closed in towards Garchomp in seconds.

Garchomp flew faster, in an attempt to outrun her chasers, but too bad, Pidgeot’s aerial artistry was beyond Garchomp’s league. Despite the dragon's irregular movements, Pidgeot adroitly maintained proximity to her.

As Pidgeot hurtled, Ash's vision deteriorated. The flurry of winds bombarded into his eyes and without protective eye gear, there was no way he could keep his eyes open. He realized why Pidgeot was holding back all this while, but it did not matter if he couldn't see properly; they had to stop Garchomp at all costs.

A tug on Ash’s shoulders grabbed his attention. Froakie was struggling to maintain a grip on his jacket. He grabbed the water-type and placed him before him, right behind Pikachu. "It'll be over soon, Froakie. We'll get Garchomp to safety,” he screamed as the wind whooshed in his ears.

" **Okay."**

Ash strengthened his hold on Pidgeot as his bird tilted her body to make a turn. "Pikachu, I want you to use Thunderbolt on Garchomp when I tell you," he said. Distracting Garchomp should fend her off the city. Although his plan might provoke the dragon to target them, they had to compromise with the risk. Keeping the Mach Pokémon at bay was the primary goal.

" **Right!"** Pikachu charged his electric sacs and waited for his trainer's command. He had well mastered the art of limiting his static only to his cheek sacs, which allowed Ash to hold him in place and not get electrocuted.

Pidgeot inclined her body and flew over Garchomp parallelly.

"Now, Pikachu!" Ash shouted as Pidgeot dipped, close to the dragon-type.

At his trainer's word, Pikachu released a mighty Thunderbolt at the Mach Pokémon, hoping to distract him, but alas, it caused no substantial effect other than to annoy the dragon type.

Garchomp spun her face up and roared. Ash gulped at her expression Garchomp carried. Maybe a sneaky approach was not something that she appreciated.

Garchomp rotated her body and growled. She generated violet energy in her mouth and launched a dragon pulse at Ash and his Pokémon.

"Dodge, Pidgeot!" Pidgeot sailed with the air as she dodged the incoming beam. She craned her body and fell back, gaining a healthy distance.

Garchomp did not fetter there, she continued with her onslaught, repeatedly launching more Dragon Pulses, but Pidgeot, the aerial queen she was, dodged them all with grace. She receded back to an elevation for instructions as Garchomp redirected her rage on the city.

 **“Orders, Ash,”** Pidgeot said.

"Looks like she’s part ground type, Pidgeot," Ash said. "All right then, use your Air Slash."

Pidgeot closed her wings and dived with her beak pointed down. As Garchomp came within a considerable distance, she spread her wings out, lifted herself in the air, and blasted a series of compressed air blades at the dragon. Ash’s secure grip protected him from falling.

"Gaaarrrr!" Garchomp grunted as the cannonade barged into her body. Her resilient build added to her partial ground typing seemed to shield her from any major damage. She recoiled, gave herself distance, and retaliated with a brutal Dragon Breath.

"Watch out!" Pidgeot, seemingly aware of the counter, agilely slid aside. "We can't afford to get hit.”

Garchomp launched more Dragon Breaths at them, but this time both Froakie and Pikachu came to rescue. They leaped and cancelled them with Water Pulse and Thunderbolt, respectively. "Way to go, guys!"

Unable to score an accurate strike, Garchomp bailed from the aeronautic tussle and focused her aim back to the city. She shot hyper beams at the partially burnt buildings, wrecking them beyond repair.

"Why is she targeting the city for no reason?" Ash asked himself.

" **Ash, look."** At Pikachu's voice, Ash peeked up.

Garchomp took a U-turn. She was ready to circle the city again from scratch. While they had successfully managed to detract the dragon's focus from Prism Tower, her demonic blitzkrieg was far from over. She displayed no signs of fatigue.

"Pidgeot, no matter what, follow Garchomp. We need to drive her away from the city."

" **On it."**

* * *

Gary, along with Serena and Shauna, arrived near the Prism Tower. As Gary had envisaged, chaos cloaked the city. Garchomp's outburst had visibly destroyed everything in vicinity. Concrete materials broke down from blazing buildings. Most of the shops and stores were charred and obliterated beyond recognition. People were nomadically bustling in all directions. The Business District of Lumiose City fell prey to the draconic Pokémon's insane acrimony, decaying under her savage atrocities.

In their defense, far off, was Tierno with the water types holding their end of the bargain, putting out the unrestrained fires permeating all around. Calem and Trevor flew on their flying types, assisted by his Fearow, and rescued the citizens stuck in tall buildings. They transported them to the safer perimeter, Officer Jenny had herself marked with barricades. She seemed to have found a few additional junior officers’ assistance as well as the trainers in the city.

"Serena, Shauna, both of you start helping in clearing the paths near to any buildings. No citizen should lurk around the sidewalks," Gary said in an authoritative voice. "It is likely the buildings will continue to collapse, and that’s the first impact area."

"Right!" Both girls immediately diverged, heeding to Gary's instructions. Serena took the left wing while Shauna advanced right.

"Umbreon, it's you and me now."

"Umbre."

Gary and his dark-type dashed towards a nearby building. It had over twenty levels and was critically shedding broken concrete and debris. About ten trainers used their flying types to evacuate the building, but there was no one to fence the danger area and guide the citizens coming out of the stairs. Gary took it upon himself.

As soon as Gary reached there, he spotted a young lady in a working outfit who had her leg stuck under a large rubble. She was trying to free herself by digging through the rock pile. While she struggled with her endeavor, unaware of her surroundings, a hefty concrete rock mass, fractured from the adjacent building, plummeted down. The lady was right underneath the descending rock. It was twice her size and had iron rods sticking out of it.

"Shadow Ball!" Gary called. Umbreon shot an ominous orb at the falling rock, dissipating it into dust.

Gary rushed to the lady. "Are you all right, ma'am?" he offered his hand to her. Umbreon used a weaker Shadow Ball on the rock rubble over the girl’s foot and helped her escape her pickle.

"Ye-yes, sir, I am." The girl tucked her blue hair back and smiled. She held Gary’s hand and got back on her feet. She had angular glasses and by her voice, she seemed a few years older than Gary. "All thanks to you."

"It's all right. You should be careful next time. Didn't you hear Officer Jenny's announcement? You shouldn't be here."

"I’m sorry,” she bowed apologetically. “I was late for work this morning and the moment I arrived, Garchomp was rampaging the city. I tried to escape, but my leg got stuck here."

"The danger level of this place is escalating with every second. Please go behind that barricade Officer Jenny erected." He pointed towards Jenny who was on loudspeaker. "You should be safe there."

"Yes, I will. Thanks for saving my life." The girl pecked Gary's cheek and ran towards said location.

Gary watched in surprise as the stranger disappeared into the hurrying crowd. He brushed his cheek and chuckled. "Well, I got something out of this mess, at least."

Another nearby building fell prey to Garchomp’s rage, fortunately, it was long evacuated.

Officer Jenny’s assistants were moving around the city in cars, announcing safety measures. They managed to evacuate almost half of the city, but the other half still remained.

Gary furrowed his brow. "Come on, Umbreon, we’re not done yet.”

Gary continued with his mission and saved another eight people and guided dozens of others to safety.

“Good job, Umbreon,” Gary said as Umbreon instinctively destroyed a falling boulder, about to hit a man.

“Umbreon!” the Moonlight Pokémon motioned towards a building. It was Gary’s Alakazam. He was teleporting the older citizens to safety. In a situation like this, the senior folk were the most neglected, but his Psi Pokémon thought otherwise and tended to them first. Gary grinned with pride; his psychic-type saved at least fifty lives by then.

"What's the plan, Gary?" Clemont asked as he rode on his Luxray. Bonnie tightly clung to his waist from behind.

The sight of Bonnie with Clemont infuriated Gary. "I specifically told you to leave her behind," he yelled. "Do you really think it’s a good idea to bring a kid like her here?" he asked with a raised voice.

"B-Bonnie w-wouldn't listen. She threatened to run away if I didn't bring her," Clemont said fearfully. "Don't you worry though; I'll keep her close to me."

 _Talkative, over-smart, and a real pain in the ass. What a combination for a sister, Clemont._ Gary sighed. "Fine, she is your responsibility from here on," he said. "Now help me clear the public. I'm taking the east." He bulleted ahead and left the west wing to siblings.

* * *

"Air Slash!" Pidgeot fired her compressed air currents at Garchomp again, but the dragon type shook her head and refused to yield. She far long gave up on retaliating against Ash. Her attacks hardly grazed Pidgeot and she was on bloody carnage. Destruction and chaos seemed to gratify her; hence she directed her entire outburst on the city.

 _Pidgeot’s attacks aren’t working. There must be another way to stop Garchomp, but what?_ Ash clenched his teeth as Pidgeot spread her wings and rotated her body. They flew higher and gained distance from Garchomp.

Ash's eyes lit up as an idea struck his mind. _That's it. That might work._ He eyed Froakie. "I will need you to help, Froakie."

" **What do you want?"** Froakie asked.

"Pidgeot, overtake Garchomp and head towards the outskirts." Ash being seated on Pidgeot restricted her from using any physical moves, and her only special move, Air Slash, hardly tickled Garchomp. But, Froakie's water moves could inflict some damage and he could multiply that with this plan of his. "Froakie, I want you to fire your strongest water pulse at Garchomp and provoke him to follow us. Pikachu, add in your Thunderbolt to that.”

" **I'm in,"** Froakie said.

" **Me too."**

"Let's go, Pidgeot," Ash yelled.

Pidgeot dashed through the wind in her supersonic speed. Ash held his cap tight for the umptieth time, preventing it from falling. Though Pidgeot was away from Garchomp while Ash deliberated on his plan, it her took mere seconds to chase and overtake the dragon.

"Now guys!" Pikachu and Froakie leaped onto Ash's shoulder and fired their respective attacks.

"Gaaarrrrrrr!" Garchomp cried in pain, unlike when hit by Pidgeot's Air Slash, this time her cry sounded more agonic.

As Ash had anticipated, his plan worked. Froakie’s Water Pulse not only caused damage to Garchomp, but also dampened her body which allowed Pikachu’s electricity to conduct inside of her.

"Pidgeot, away from the city," Ash said, expecting Garchomp to follow behind, but that wasn't the case. Garchomp ignored them again. She was dead persistent on rampaging the city than seeking revenge. "Damn it! I thought she’d follow us."

 **“All her eyes want is destruction,”** Pikachu said.

Garchomp wrecked another building with her hyper beam. Hopefully, it was empty.

" _Argh!_ " Ash grunted at the failure of his idea. He took a deep breath and decided to play his risky ace in the hole, the last resort he formulated before he even began his wild dragon chase. "Guys, I have one last plan and I think this will work."

" **I am all ears,"** Pikachu said.

Ash placed his palm on Pidgeot's mane. "Pidgeot, get close to Garchomp again. I am jumping on her. Clemont said that the device around his neck is the cause for her aggression. I can destroy it."

Pidgeot jerked her head towards Ash. **"Are you crazy? Sorry, I am not doing that."**

" **Pidgeot is right, Ash, you can't do that,"** Pikachu said. **"Why don’t I do it instead? My Iron Tail can destroy the device in one shot,”** he wagged his crooked tail.

"No, Pikachu. You’re too small to get a good grip on Garchomp. She’ll throw you before you even land on her," Ash said. "Trust me, guys, I know I can do this. The old man trained me well to face such situations."

 **“No, Ash. Garchomp is in pure rage, you don’t know what’ll happen once you land on her,”** Pikachu said. **“She is not your Pokémon to make sure you land properly.”**

“Look guys, if I feel it’s getting risky, I’ll dive down. Can I count on you Pidgeot?”

 **“Have I ever let you down?”** Pidgeot said.

“You never will.” Ash stroked Pidgeot’s mane.

" **All right, Ash,"** Pikachu gave in. **"But, be careful."**

"I will." Ash nodded. Froakie stared at Ash in confusion, seemingly unable to comprehend what was going on. "I know what you are thinking, Froakie, and I promise to explain everything later. But before that, I need to stop Garchomp," Ash said. He looked at Garchomp and tapped Pidgeot’s head. "Let's do this.”

Pidgeot cruised after Garchomp, quickly diminishing the gap between them. As she gained enough span, Ash gingerly loosened his grip on Pidgeot and straightened his knees.

"Closer, Pidgeot," he said as gusts of wind tried knocking him off balance. To add salt to the wound, Garchomp's sporadic movements meddled with his calculations. He could not find the right moment to jump.

He looked down at the miniaturized city. His heart rate elevated, and vertigo seemed to kick in. He did not falter.

He breathed in, fixed his gaze on the dragon, and hurled himself in mid-air.

* * *

Serena made her way through the infinite rubble piles across the Lumiose streets. She minded her steps and carefully skipped the several craters staining the immaculate roads. She headed towards the temporary barricade Officer Jenny had constituted—away from Garchomp's invasive threshold.

Sounds of piercing ambulance sirens and dulled babbles of the citizens rang in her ears.

She panned her head to detect any last stranded civilians but found none. With the added assistance of the resident trainers, her team, and Officer Jenny’s team, they’ve expedited their task of absolute evacuation. Although the property loss was severe, their efforts immensely minimized the casualty count.

She flipped her sight skyward—Ash still involved in the fatal skirmish against the dragon type.

She clasped her palms, intertwining her fingers, and brought them close to her chest. _Please be careful._

She sauntered ahead with her head inclined upwards. Blobs of fearful tears welled in her shimmering eyes, her lips constantly oscillated radiating prayers of safety for Ash. She lost her vector perception in her trance.

"Whoa, look out!" A strong tug on Serena's shoulder pulled her aside.

She flapped her eyelids and saw Shauna, who had just saved her from crashing into a wrecked lamppost.

"You okay?" Shauna asked.

"Huh? Yeah, I guess so," Serena said meekly. "I'm just worried about Ash. I haven't even met him properly, and then this happens." She peeked up again. “He’s been up there for so long.”

"Don't worry, Serena, Gary said that Ash has been in such situations before. If he is right, then I'm sure Ash will pull through." Shauna's assurance did no good for Serena; in fact, it multiplied her fears. What if Ash failed this time? And what did Gary mean by such situations before? Doubts drilled her weary brain.

"I'm still scared, Shauna."

"Why don't we join the others? Gary is giving an interview to the Kalos press, maybe he'll say something about Ash. I don't think you'd wanna miss it." Shauna winked.

In normal circumstances, Shauna's cryptic tease would have flustered Serena, but this was no normal circumstance. She was too distressed to react. "I don't think so, Shauna, you go on ahead. I'll join later."

"No, you are coming with me." Shauna dragged Serena towards the interview spot. She gripped her wrist around Serena tightly, preventing her from making any moves.

Serena constantly flitted her eyes between Ash and Gary, but she somehow overheard the brief interview.

"Hello, Kalos, this is Alexa reporting from Lumiose City, and we are bringing to you the live coverage of a rampaging Garchomp here," the reporter named Alexa said into the camera. "However, with the help of a few brave and altruistic souls, no citizen has been harmed, and the destruction was limited to only property. Now, let us speak to one of the few who have helped save the city." She extended the mike towards Gary. "What is your name, young man, and could you tell us more about the situation?"

"Yo, Kalos, I am Gary Oak from Kanto region, and the situation, though it was critical, was in the end contained with the help of many trainers, at least it for now," Gary said. "It was Team Rocket's vicious plan of capturing Professor Sycamore’s Garchomp which resulted this destruction."

"So, you say that Team Rocket has spread their roots to Kalos, too?"

"Of course. The culprits are Jessie, James, and their talking Pokémon, Meowth."

"You are quite brave to say the names of wanted criminals on national television, Gary, but that aside, what the viewers really want to know is: who is that boy chasing Garchomp? And why is he risking his life to do so?"

"Ha-ha." Gary chuckled. "That boy is my friend, Ash Ketchum. And why is he risking his life? Well, the answer is simple. He can't see a Pokémon in trouble, and will do anything to protect them."

"That’s quite a claim. You sound like you're describing a hero from fairy tales, don't you think?"

"Maybe I am, but as far as I know, Ash is just that. He has—"

"Look, the boy is doing something!" A stranger in the crowd shrieked.

Serena snapped her vision to Ash. She gasped at what Ash was trying to attempt.

 _You idiot!_ she screamed internally as Ash was about to take a plunge onto Garchomp. The press cameras and the infinite eyes of Lumiose snapped towards the sky.

Serena held her breath as she watched Ash calculate his jump. Her heart throbbed against her ribs as Ash propelled himself mid-air.

“Yay!” several cheers and applause followed as Ash successfully landed on Garchomp’s back.

A huge load vaporized off Serena’s soul. She sighed and gave a protracted blink in relief. _Just don't die till I kill you, asshole._

* * *

"Calm down, Garchomp, I'm only here to help you," Ash said as he tried to earn a secure grip on the Mach Pokémon.

As soon as he propelled his weight on Garchomp, the pseudo-legendary had gone berserk with her movements, whimsically fluttering her winged appendages, struggling to fling the added burden on her.

"Try to listen, Garchomp," Ash tried to reason, but the Mach Pokémon exhibited no signs of comprehension.

Determined against surrendering, Ash entwined his brawny arms around the dragon's elongated neck, sealing himself with a tight clutch.

Garchomp inclined her face towards Ash. With a magnified irritation in her eyes, the beast escalated her speed, vacillating her body, rocking Ash unsteadily. But no matter how hard she tried, Ash refused to let go. He tightened his already tight hold, intertwining his fingers together.

Defeated in her repeated pursuits of freeing herself, Garchomp gave a minacious grunt. She launched a streak of aileron rolls and exploited the centrifugal force to her advantage.

Ash’s head spiraled, hat flew away, and hands began to slide—he was gradually losing his grip. "Stoooop… Gar… chomp," he screeched at Garchomp's volatile maneuvers, but Garchomp wouldn’t listen. He coiled his legs around the dragon's abdomen, to save himself from falling.

 _Splash!_ A water pulse smacked Garchomp in her head and put an end to her dicey gyrations.

Ash looked ahead and saw multiple illusions of his Pidgeot. He shook his head and squinted his eyes, his vision sharpened—Froakie and his Pokémon had come to his rescue, initiating a scuffle against the Mach Pokémon.

Pikachu and Froakie rampantly barraged the dragon with an array of assorted attacks, distracting her from the scar-faced trainer’s task. They made sure their attacks didn’t touch Ash, directing their aim at the dragon’s snout.

Garchomp countered with repeated Dragon Breaths, engaging in a conflict with the Pokémon.

Ash was grateful for the diversion created. Since, Garchomp averted her focus from him, he could now work on destroying the device.

He wasted no time and punched the device around Garchomp’s neck. The moment his fist connected the gadget, the dragon type exuded a deafening roar. The scream sounded like she was being brutally tortured.

She shot a fierce Dragon Pulse at Pidgeot, but fortunately, his bird brilliantly drifted aside.

_Clemont was right; it is the device which is controlling Garchomp. I need to smash it in one shot. I can't let her go through any more pain._

Ash hoisted his head up; his Pokémon kept the dragon busy. With both Ash and his Pokémon attacking her on all fronts, Garchomp couldn’t disregard them anymore and was compelled to fight. She shot a Hyper Beam at Pidgeot, but missed. Ash felt the beam’s heat from on Garchomp.

While she got busy trading shots with his Pokémon, Ash concentrated on the task at hand. This was his chance. He had to do this now and he had to do it in one go. His master's words rang like celestial bells in his head: _“Your mind controls your strike. Speed or power is not the key, the vision behind it is. Relax your brain, forget everything around you, and channel your inner strength into your blow. Power is in emotion within you, bring it out. Focus more on your opponent than on yourself. One strike; that's it. Sometimes, one strike is all you get, and it’s all you should ever need.”_

Ash calmly shut his eyes and relaxed his respiration. He searched for that core strength the old man talked so much about. The sounds from the people below and the Pokémon above dimmed. The world around him gradually went mute. An electrifying sensation grew in his belly and before he knew, it spread throughout his body. It was like this new wave of enigmatic energy ignited in him.

He fixed his gaze on his target, positioned his palm above his head, and swung his hand onto it with a swift exhale. _"Haahr!"_

 _Klam!_ The device shattered into pieces.

The very next moment, Garchomp jerked at the sudden loss of her rage. Her bloodshot eyes reverted to their golden shade. She ceased her violent duel and breathed out in relief.

She spiraled her head and took notice of Ash. **"You-you saved me?"**

"Yes, you're free now, Garchomp. Nobody will hurt you anymore." Ash gently fondled the dragon's snout. Garchomp slowly nodded, appreciating the inky-haired trainer's help. "Now, why don't we go down? Professor Sycamore should be worried about you."

At Ash's suggestion, Garchomp began her gradual descent.

" **Ash."** Pikachu called as Pidgeot closed in towards him.

Ash grinned and waved his arms in elation. "We did it, guys!"

Both Pikachu and Froakie were celebrating jubilantly on Pidgeot’s back. Lost in his euphoria, Pikachu accidentally wiggled his tail a little too vigorously and knocked Froakie off balance.

Froakie tumbled and fell.

Without any second thoughts, Ash dived.

* * *

Serena’s strained brain relentlessly computed the possible outcomes of Ash's asinine gamble of jumping on Garchomp. Her soggy eyes cascaded streaks of dreadful tears. They strayed from their course and marginally brushed her lips. She could taste their bitter saltiness.

She clutched onto the blue handkerchief in her hands and snuffed her cloggy breath. A few muted whispers of the public talking of Ash's bravery and how they were all indebted to him battered her ears. Serena bit her lips—she could not care less. If the cost of Ash's life was the city's demise, she would unhesitatingly accept the trade.

 _Why would you do this?_ She raised her head up and whimpered.

When Garchomp maniacally executed his erratic rolls, her heart skipped a beat, but when Froakie came to Ash's rescue, her hysteria slightly ebbed. She shut her eyes. _Ash has his Pokémon to protect him. He has his Pokémon,_ she constantly reassured herself.

"Hey?" Serena yelped as something unfamiliar touched her shoulder. It was Shauna.

She gasped at the expression Serena carried. She immediately wrapped her arms around the honey-blonde. "He will be fine, girl. Please don't worry like that," she said softly in her ear.

Serena appreciated Shauna's thoughtful gesture, but her embrace hardly made any difference. Her whole body and soul yearned for only one thing—Ash's safety, and by the likes of it, safety was the last item on Ash’s agenda.

"I'll be fine," Serena said feebly.

"Now's his chance to destroy that device," a stranger in the crowd yelled.

Shauna intertwined her arm around Serena's. "I didn’t think he was so important to you," she said, her voice lacking any trace of frisky undertone.

Serena didn’t know what it was, but the mere thought of never getting to start her journey with Ash pained her like her only joy in life was being snatched away. She didn’t spend much time with him, she didn’t meet him once in eight years, she didn’t even know the kind of person he became—he was practically a stranger who was her friend during childhood. But that friend had left such an everlasting impression on her that she could never fade him away from her life. She valued him like how an artist valued her first painting. She may paint a million better ones later, but the importance of the one which taught her that art would be etched in her heart for a lifetime. That was how important Ash was to her. Yes, she did desire a relationship with him, but that was only the consequence of the admiration she had for him.

“He is,” Serena lowered her head.

Shauna leaned her head on Serena’s shoulder. "He’ll be safe, at least for you."

Serena smiled at Shauna's compassionate words. "I hope so too."

"That's what I'm talking about!" Gary hollered as the device around Garchomp shattered into pieces. A boisterous clamor of claps and cheers followed.

Serena released her held breath and beamed flawlessly. "He did it," she whispered to herself. Somehow, all her prayers have been answered. Ash could now come down intact. But to her misery, her bliss was short-lived.

The whole Lumiose crowd gasped as Froakie slipped off Pidgeot's back, but their expressions turned aghast when the boy who saved their city jumped after the bubble frog.

Serena's face ashened. Her chest ached and her heart gave out. The entire world around her froze for a second as her fears came alive and her only companion, her tears, abandoned her too. She stood like an emotionless sculpture watching Ash plunge into death. She had a dream once, a dream she wished to turn into reality—she wanted to go on a never ending journey with Ash, get to know him, spend time with him, and eventually, and hopefully fall in love with him—she held that naïve dream in her ginger little palms for over a decade, but now, it slithered out of her—it was gone. She can’t travel with him. She can’t talk to him. She can’t fall in love with him. She can’t even see that beacon-like smile of his again. The blue cloth slipped from her palms as her decade long sealed feelings came crashing down upon her, just to leave her forever without saying a hi or even a goodbye.

* * *

Ash straightened his spine as he dived, his nose down and arms glued to his sides. His heart rate increased rapidly and the contrasting wind clawed through his face and flesh—the planet's gravity comfortably overpowered the atmospheric might. What he did might be a foolish act, and he unequivocally put himself in the mouth of death, but Froakie was his priority now.

Due to his superior weight, and his arrow-like positioning, Ash easily caught up to the water-type. Froakie was now a few feet away from him horizontally.

Ash released his arms out, spreading them, and inclined his torso parallel to the ground. He swam across the air towards Froakie. He had to catch him before they made an impact and they already covered nearly half the distance.

He paddled his way across the stormy currents and with much effort, he finally caught hold of Froakie. "Gotcha."

He curled in on himself and secured Froakie into his body. He turned his back towards the ground and shielded the Pokémon from any threat.

 _Any second now._ Ash shut his eyes.

The citizens shrieked in horror as the winds hissed past him, but Ash wasn’t scared. This wasn’t the day he died. A slender smile formed on his lips as his instincts registered a familiar presence.

As he sank towards the earth, his body met a soft surface.

His dip ceased with a jerk.

Pidgeot saved him.

He adjusted his position on his royal bird and placed Froakie before him. "Thanks, Pidgeot." He hugged her.

" **Yes, thanks a lot,"** Froakie said, performing the same gesture.

" **Your welcome,"** Pidgeot said as she sailed. **"That was a good catch, Ash, but you didn’t have to do that, I could have saved Froakie.”**

“Sorry, Pidgeot. I wasn’t thinking much.”

Froakie gawked at Ash as the trainer and Pokémon exchanged their conversation, but before Ash could address the Bubble Frog Pokémon, Pikachu, who was settled on Pidgeot's crest, broke his silence. **"I-I'm really sorry for what I did Froakie, I didn't mean—"**

" **It's all right."** Froakie smiled. **"I am still alive, ain’t I?"**

" **But if I had been careful, you wouldn't have slipped. I put you in unnecessary trouble,”** Pikachu said. **“You didn’t sign up for this.”**

**“But it was fun. By your conversation before I knew Pidgeot would save, though I didn’t expect your trainer to dive. But if it means anything to you, then I forgive you. You didn't do it on purpose, and I know that."**

Pikachu's eyes sparkled. **"Thanks a lot, Froakie. That means a lot."**

Ash gave a satisfied smile at Pikachu and Froakie’s talk, glad that there weren't any unresolved hard feelings. He was about to add his own thoughts, but Pidgeot grabbed his attention before that. **"Brace yourself, Ash, we are landing. Get ready to face the party,"** Pidgeot chuckled.

"Oh, no!" Ash paled. The entire city cheered at him as Pidgeot neared the ground. If allowed, they seemed ready to build his statue in the city centre. "I hope mom doesn't hear any of this."

" **That would be difficult, Ash,"** Pikachu said. **"Look, TV reporters are here too. Even if people leave you, they won’t."**

"Damn it! Guess there is no way out."

Pidgeot flurried her wings, decelerating her flight. She docked a few yards away from the horde of people. A rambunctious applause welcomed their descent.

Ash stepped down off his bird and returned her back into her Pokeball after a quick thank you. He watched the noisy crowd as Pikachu leaped onto his shoulder; Froakie took the other one.

A smaller pack from among the mob, led by Serena, hurried towards him. He could spot Gary, Serena’s friends from before, a few citizens, and the media. He put on a radiant grin and waved at them.

Serena left everyone behind and raced towards Ash. Pikachu and Froakie, for some odd reason, jumped down from his shoulders and distanced themselves. Before he could ask why, Serena approached him. She rooted her tracks, a foot away, and inhaled deeply. Ash thought she wanted to be the first to thank him for saving the city, but—

 _Pfhaat!_ She slapped him.

Ash held his cheek and stood agape. The crowd’s booming clamor instantly quelled into unmarred silence. A pin drop could have echoed throughout the city. None dared to speak or interfere. Pikachu, Gary, Serena's friends, the whole city—all were mum and grounded to their positions.

A gentle breeze blew between Ash and Serena, indicating the prevailing tension between them.

"What’s wrong with you?" Serena screamed her lungs out. Her voice sounded cracked and coarse.

Serena's outburst initially confused Ash. He did the right thing in going after Garchomp and saving Froakie from falling. The whole city seemed happy with him, but not Serena. His mind could not deduce what went wrong. However, when he continued to look into her lustrous eyes which were tainted by abominable tears, things slowly started to fall in place.

While he was busy with his near death mission of saving the city; in the same city was a girl waiting to meet him for eight long years. He remembered how ecstatic and glittery her smile was when he informed her of his Kalos plan last week. She looked like a gullible little kid who just got the news of a reward for remaining disciplined the whole day. And the day they were supposed to meet, after eight years of partition, was the same day he could have died (at least in her perspective). Standing in her shoes was a tough ask, even for him. She must have held her heart in her hand while he was busy risking his life. But what could even he do? Leaving the city to Garchomp's rage was not an option. He had to act on impulse, so he did. However, he failed to consider the feelings of this one girl, who had been waiting forever to see him. He sincerely regretted what he put her through, but to his misery, even if time had to revert and give him another chance, he probably would repeat the same. That was who he was and that was who he’ll always be.

Tears cascaded from Serena’s sapphire eyes. She lunged at Ash and clutched his jacket, shaking him vehemently. “You know how worried I Was?”

Ash remained still, allowing the girl to unleash her outburst, which he thought she deserved to do.

She pounded her fists on his chest. “Idiot! Idiot! Stupid! Idiot! You could have died! Idiot! Idiot! Idiot—” she cried. Her face had streaks of erased makeup—some were dry while some still trickled tears.

Ash couldn’t articulate any response, knowing that he was the one responsible for Serena’s distressed state. It pained him deeply. He had seen several bitter sights in his past, but none disturbed him like the image of those beautiful eyes in tears. It was almost as if tears were a sacrilege to her eyes, they looked so out of place.

“I-I’m sorry,” he said guiltily, but honestly.

Serena gradually stopped her pounding and buried her face into his chest. She wiped her face on his jacket and wrapped her arms around him. She shivered vulnerably as she sunk into him. She gingerly raised her head, “pl-please don-don’t do s-such things a-again,” she said between sniffles. Her eyes were glassy and her voice—it made Ash feel miserable inside. To sound that way, she must’ve been crying for a long time. His heart stung again.

Not wasting any longer, he too wrapped his arms around her. As he touched her, he couldn’t help but admire the smoothness of her creamy white arms. He used his wrist to pat her back in an attempt to comfort her. “I won’t. I’m really sorry.” It wasn’t a reunion she deserved, but a reunion she needed. Comforting her was the least he could do after putting her through such an ordeal.

Time seemed to fly and Ash’s act of comforting quickly escalated into something beyond his dominion of knowledge. The floral fragrance from her hair titillated his senses, instinctually drawing his arms towards them. His fingers sunk into her velvety blonde hair. It felt like digging into a sack of loosely packed silk fibers.

Serena adjusted the position of her face and tightened her hold around him. Her breasts pressed into Ash’s body. A vague fluttering sensation incepted in his chest, and with Serena’s enticing scent and touch, its intensity brimmed. His pulse escalated and his heartbeat sounded loud and dramatic. It was like how he felt during an intense battle, but only in a different form. He couldn’t discern it, or describe it, so rode the tide, and enjoyed it.

"You done, Ashy-boy?" Gary said as he walked towards him. "You both seem to be having some fun, ey?" He had an evil smirk which threw a hundred different taunts at Ash.

Ash and Serena instinctively withdrew from their short moment. Serena's cheeks were flushed to an extent that even the color, red would've been ashamed of its brilliance and Ash was sure that he carried a similar expression, only in a more moderate tone.

"It's not—"

Gary raised a palm and stopped Ash. “It’s not what I think it is, correct?”

Ash nodded.

“You both were in that position for about five minutes,” Gary raised five open fingers. “Got a defense to that?”

Ash gulped and looked at an embarrassed Serena who was looking back at him with an even embarrassed look.

“Anyway, it's none of my business. Here you go.” Gary handed Ash 's hat, which he seemed to have caught a while ago. “I think this belongs to you.”

Ash gladly accepted his hat, placed it on his head, and fixed it in position. "Thanks, Gary."

"Mr. Ketchum, would you be kind enough to give us an interview," a female reporter asked as she rammed a microphone into Ash's face. "Please, sir, the whole region wants to know about you."

Had it been a few years ago, Ash would have jumped into an opportunity to appear on TV, but if his past experiences had taught him anything, he had to resist on such offers. Fame can only worsen situations and he hadn’t even landed properly in the region yet. "Err, I don't know. Why don't you interview Gary? He’s good with such stuff," Ash scratched his head.

"We have already done that, sir, besides the region is more interested in you."

Ash nervously looked at Gary, asking to bail him out. A TV interview was not in his calendar. Besides, an interview would obliterate whatever slim chance there was of his mom not finding out about this incident. He couldn’t toy with that, even if Gary already ruined most of it with his interview, he’d salvage whatever was remaining.

Gary nodded in understanding and came to Ash's rescue. He placed his hand on the reporter's shoulder. "Why don't we do this some other time, Alexa? Ash must be tired after all that has occurred. We should give him a break."

Alexa tried to argue back, but Gary skillfully escorted her aside. Ash was thankful for that.

"Young man, I thank you for rescuing my Garchomp." Professor Sycamore said. "You were marvelous in saving him and Froakie. I don't know how to offer my gratitude to you."

"It's all right, Professor. I did it because I couldn’t see Garchomp in pain," Ash said. "Is she all right now?"

"Yes, yes, she is." The professor showed the Pokeball in his hand. "The incident consumed most of her energy, but with a few days of rest and she should revert into her marvelous condition."

"Glad to hear that, Professor." Ash looked at Froakie, who was perched on the professor's shoulder. "I think I owe you an explanation, right, Froakie?"

Froakie nodded.

"What explanation?" Serena asked. She stood close to Ash, her arm nearly bumping into his.

"Don’t worry, you already know about it," Ash said. "Hey, where is Pikachu?" He searched around.

 ** _“Whphhaaeeuuooooeeeooooeeeaawwwpphhh!”_** Pikachu whistled from behind. **“Look here, partner.”**

“There he is,” Serena said. “Your Wartortle’s with him too.”

"You ungrateful mouse, you left me alone out there,” Ash said.

Pikachu shrugged. **“Don’t blame me, blame yourself. That was your fight and I don’t want any part of it.”**

“There will come I time when our roles will be reversed, I’ll show you then. Just wait and watch.”

 **“Fine, but be sure to not go easy on me.”** Pikachu jumped back to his claimed shoulder. **“I wouldn’t if I were you.”**

Ash sighed and shook his head. A conversation with Pikachu was always an elongated argument. Sometimes he wondered if there was some mis-wiring in his partner’s brain, such was the extent of his presumptuous attitude. He turned his attention to his Turtle Pokémon. “How did firefighting go, Wartortle?”

" **Awesome, boss. _I_ and the others rocked the show," **Wartortle said, pointing a thumb at himself.

"Well done. Why don't you rest for now?" Ash said. On Wartortle's nod, he recalled his water-type back into his device.

"Serena, won't you introduce your friend to us?" A pigtailed brunette chimed in. There were three boys were behind her. Ash recognized them to be Serena's friends.

"Oh yes, of course."

* * *


	9. Kalos Acquaintances

It was mid-afternoon, a few hours since the catastrophe of Garchomp concluded. After the brief introductions between Serena's friends and Ash, followed by several autograph requests by the Lumiose residents which Ash denied, the professor had invited everyone for lunch at the lab—a small token of his gratitude. They had finished with their food a while ago and were now relaxing. The professor had a few errands to run, so he left them all to chat. They were getting to know each other better, but it was mostly Bonnie who spoke.

“Why didn’t you bring more Pokémon, Ash? I wanted to meet all your Pokémon,” Bonnie said with a pout from beside Clemont. When she asked Ash to show his whole team, he told her that Pikachu, Pidgeot and Wartortle were the only ones he had on hand. That revelation irked the little girl who wanted nothing, but too see all kinds of Pokémon. She reminded Ash a lot of his childhood.

“Bonnie! Be polite,” Clemont scolded.

“It’s alright, Clemont,” Ash said. He sat beside Serena in a two-seater couch. Pikachu was in Serena’s lap, enjoying the delicate caress she gave his fur. “I know how it is to be of her age. Since you’re no allowed into forest alone, you want to meet as many Pokémon you can. Right, Bonnie?”

“ _Uh-huh_ ,” Bonnie nodded. “I want to meet all the Pokémon in the world,” she spread her arms out, accidently knocking Clemont’s glasses off.

“Bonnie!” Clemont yelled. He bent down and collected his glasses. “Be careful from next time,” he said, wiping the glasses with a cloth. But Bonnie acted like she heard nothing.

“But why didn’t you bring all your team, Ash?” Trevor asked. All the eyes in the room shifted on him. He became nervous and fidgeted with his camera. “ _Err_ , I-I-I”— _sigh_ —“I guess I overstepped. I’m sorry.”

Ash tilted his head. “Don’t be, it’s okay to be curious. I didn’t bring my Pokémon because we all just came from a long training period. I wanted to give them some rest before they joined me.”

Serena softly elbowed Ash’s gut. She seemed to grumble something inaudible under her breath, but Ash got her hidden message.

He chuckled foolishly.

"Then why those three?" Shauna asked. She sat on the larger couch with Gary, Trevor, Tierno, and Calem. She was squashed between Gary and Tierno, while Trevor and Calem took Tierno’s end. "I am not complaining since without them and you, who knows what might have happened to the city. I am just curious like Trevor. You could have filled your roster, brought only one, or brought someone else. Why only those three?"

"Simple," Gary said. "You see, Ash never travels without Pikachu so there was no question on him leaving the mouse out." The electric-type was sipping a ketchup sachet on Serena’s lap. Serena placed a white napkin under him to prevent any spilled stains on her dress. For a first-time meeting, they got along quite well. "As for Pidgeot and Wartortle, a trainer never travels to new places without a flying and water type on hand. That’s why those two types are the most sought after by beginner trainers."

"He is right," Calem said. "You never know when you need to fly or swim somewhere urgently. It’s trainer tips one ‘O one."

“Yes." Ash nodded.

"So, what are your plans then, Ash?" Tierno asked. "Are you here to challenge the Kalos League?"

"No. I’m here to win it." Ash grinned with conviction.

Almost all sets of eyes there, except for Gary’s and Serena’s rolled towards him. Ash blushed sheepishly.

Bonnie elbowed Clemont. “That is called confidence. Watch and learn, brother.”

Clemont stayed quiet.

" _Urm_ , are you planning on challenging the Lumiose Gym then?" Trevor asked.

"Lumiose City has a gym?" Ash shot out his seat, his eyes twinkling. "All right! I wanna challenge it right now. Where is it?"

"The Prism Tower is the Lumiose Gym," Tierno said. "I am surprised you didn't know since you have already met the leader's son and daughter."

"What?" Ash asked in confusion. "Who are they?" His eyes flitted across the heads in the room. He stopped at Shauna. “Is that you?”

"That would be us, Ash," Clemont said, raising a reluctant hand. "The Lumiose Gym Leader is our father."

"Yes, daddy is so strong," Bonnie said as she spread her arms wide open. "He is the strongest trainer in the whole world! You can’t beat him. No one can."

"That's awesome, what are we waiting for? Let's go." Ash pumped his fist against his palm. "You ready for it, buddy?"

" **As long as I’m involved in the battle,"** Pikachu replied from Serena's lap. He was quite comfortable there. Since Ash’s hands were rough, he enjoyed the soft touch from the cerulean-eyed beauty for a change.

"I am sorry Ash, but you can't challenge my dad," Clemont said. "Not anytime soon, at least."

"What?" Ash rushed to Clemont and pushed his face close to him. "But why Clemont? I’ve been waiting for a gym battle for so long. Why can't I challenge him?"

Clemont uncomfortably scratched his cheek. "You see, my dad is out of town at the moment, and I don't know when he'll be back. So, you’ll be better off challenging another gym for now."

"Damn!" Ash whined. He walked back and fell into his seat. “That’s such a bummer.”

"Don't worry, Ash, the closest gym is in the next city," Serena said as she showed Ash the region’s map on her smartphone. "It shouldn't take _us_ long to reach there." She bit her tongue like she said something she shouldn’t have.

"All right, let's go right now," Ash punched the air. "We can start our journey today itself, Serena. I hope you brought your stuff."

Serena shut her eyes and hid her face behind her falling hairs.

"What?" Tierno exclaimed like the order of the world fell out of place. "Serena is traveling with you?"

"Huh? Didn't you tell your friends?" Ash asked the honey-blonde.

Serena swallowed and looked at Calem and Tierno. "I was about to tell you guys, but then Garchomp happened. I’m sorry."

"But you were suppo… Aaaahhh! Shauna, please, stooop." Tierno winced at Shauna's pinch on his cheek.

"She has made her choice. Now you better behave yourself." Shauna released Tierno's cheek from her hold.

“Okay,” Tierno said as he rubbed his swollen red cheek.

"Calem," Serena softly said. "I know you've asked me before, but Ash—"

Calem held his palm up. "You don't need to explain yourself," he said. "I am glad that you've finally decided to step out of the house and explore the world. I hope we cross paths during our journeys,” he smiled.

Serena's face brightened. "Thanks for understanding," she said. "I didn't know how to tell you, but I am glad you have no hard feelings."

"Don't—" Calem's Holo Caster beeped. "Excuse me." He pulled out his device and covertly read its contents. He swiftly typed in his reply. "I am sorry, but I have to leave. I've got a calling."

He stood from his seat, approached Ash, and shook his hand. "We'll meet again, Ash, and when we do, let's battle."

"Sure, Calem. I'd take you on any time."

Calem chuckled. "We'll see about that." He walked out of the room.

"Calem challenged?" Tierno said to nobody. "Weird."

"So, shall we leave, Serena?" Ash asked. If he could reach the next city before nightfall, maybe he could convince the Gym Leader into the day’s last battle. It’s been three years since he’s had a decent Gym Battle. His nerves couldn’t bear another delayed second.

Professor Sycamore entered and announced, "I have made marvelous sleeping arrangements in the dormitory for all of you’ll. Whoever wants to stay can do so."

"Ash wants to leave now, Professor," Trevor said.

"What? Ash, you've had a long day. I think you should take the rest of the day off and relax," Professor Sycamore said. "You can leave early next morning."

"You should do that, Ashy-boy," Gary said. "It's only half a day, besides even if you start now, it would get dark by the time you cover any ground."

“Gary is right, Ash. The next city is close, but it’ll take us a while to reach there,” Serena said. “Starting in the morning makes perfect sense.”

"Hmm, all right. We can postpone our travel for a day." Ash slumped in his seat.

"By the way, Ash, I think Froakie wants to talk to you," the professor said. "You can meet him in the field now."

"All right professor, I'll go see him," Ash said and raised from his seat. "You coming, buddy?"

" **Nah, I know what's going to happen, you carry on. I'm good here."** Pikachu snuggled into Serena's lap.

"Suit yourself," Ash said. "Serena, please don't pamper him too much. You have no idea how devious he is."

Pikachu stuck his tongue out to his trainer at his remark.

Serena giggled and stroked Pikachu's fur. "I'll take note of that."

Ash walked out to meet Froakie.

"I am leaving too, Professor," Tierno said. "I have dance practice in the evening."

"Me too." Trevor joined in. "I need to develop today's photos. I got some nice ones." He held his camera up.

"All right, Tierno and Trevor. It was marvelous to have you. I thank you again for your assistance today. You both did save some lives," the professor said.

“It’s our duty, Professor. We are the graduates of this academy, after all,” Tierno said.

“That’s right,” Trevor said.

Professor Sycamore smiled with a nod. "I'll leave the rest of you alone, I have some more errands to run and I’ve left my assistant all alone with it. Gary, how about we talk of your internship tomorrow, I might be caught up with work today."

"That would be fine, Professor."

Tierno and Trevor bayed their farewell and left the room with Professor Sycamore.

Bonnie left Clemont’s side and joined Serena in playing with Pikachu. Both girls gave the mouse the attention of his lifetime. Clemont abruptly opened his ginormous bag and took out a few weird devices and toolbox. He attentively used a screwdriver to open the devices. Shauna was about to go and join Serena and Bonnie, but Gary stopped her.

“What is it?” Shauna asked.

“Need to talk, is that alright?”

“Sure.” Shauna sat back in her seat. “What do you wanna talk?”

“What’s up with Calem?” Gary raised an inquisitive eyebrow. He got a vague idea about all the people he met, but Calem was the only one he couldn’t dissect. He had an inkling something was up.

"What do you mean by what’s up with him?"

"I mean, he appears to be older than all of you. His accent doesn’t sound native to this region. He talks less and he's secretive,” Gary put his hand on his chin. “He somewhat interests me.”

"Well, you're guessed right there. Calem isn't from this region, nor was he our classmate at the academy."

"How did you’ll meet him, then?"

"It was about eight or nine months ago, I think." Shauna stared towards the ceiling, tapping a finger on her chin. "No, a little longer than that," she exclaimed. "We met him through Trevor, who knew him from a photography convention he once took part it. They both became good friends there. Trevor introduced him to us."

"What about him and Serena?"

"You worried for Ash, huh?" Shauna smirked playfully.

Gary shut his eyes and nodded. "You can say that in a way, but please continue."

“Continue to what? I don’t even know what you want to know.”

“Tell me more about him. How he entered into your group and stuff like that.”

"Okay, so, a few weeks after we became friends, we met him again at a Pokémon Showcase which Serena and I participated in." Shauna excitedly slapped her thighs. "You know about showcases, don't you?"

"I've heard of them, but we can get to that later."

"Okay, now where was I?" Shauna tilted her head. "Yes, the showcase. Okay, he came to the showcase and supported me and Serena, for which we were very grateful. We could use all the support we could get. But that idiot didn’t come for me. He was supporting Serena the whole time," she pursed her lips.

"Go on."

"Since then, Calem attended every showcase Serena participated in and one fine day he finally decided to challenge his first league."

"Finally decided? Isn't he a trainer already?" Gary asked, now attentive. His Braviary was well raised and emulated at battle persona. Even Calem himself carried the aura of an experienced trainer. Gary thought he must have at least participated in four-five leagues before.

"He is, but he told us that leagues never interested him, so he never took part in any. That time also, he registered in mid-circuit."

"That's weird." Gary furrowed his brow.

"Yes, it is." Shauna nodded. "What’s even weirder is that he suddenly asked Serena to join him on his journey."

"And she declined?"

"Yep. Not just once, but every time he brought it up. The good thing was that he never pestered or forced her to join him, so we never thought anything bad of him. However, all of us decided to support him in the league when he is not facing any of our other friends."

"Priorities, ey?" Gary rolled his eyes.

"Yes, sir." Shauna crossed her arms and legs. "Do you want me to finish? Or you can choose to ask your questions to someone else. I have no problem.” She spread her arms out openly.

"All right, all right. I’m sorry. Please, go ahead."

"When we saw his battles, we couldn’t believe that he never participated in any leagues before."

"Was he good?"

"Good?" Shauna raised her brows. "He was the runner up last year, Gary. He plans on winning it this time. That’s why everybody rolled their eyes at Ash when he said the same.”

"Whoa, didn't see that coming," Gary said, his mouth wide open. "Who did he lose to in the final?"

"His final was against a very strong trainer, none of us saw any Pokémon with such strength before. His strength was beyond normal." Shauna shook her head. "He overwhelmed Calem and beat him with just three Pokémon, Gary. Just three. Can you believe that?" she said, holding three fingers out.

"What? What was that trainer's name?" Gary asked, wide-eyed.

"Paul."

"Nope." Gary shook his head. "Never heard that name before. Anyway, tell me this, does Calem like Serena?"

"I think so, but he never said or did anything explicitly.”

“Like Tierno?”

“Didn’t take you long to figure, huh?”

“The dude isn’t really good with stealth.”

“Yeah, I know, but Serena never showed interest in either of them. In fact, she never showed interest in anyone, until today."

"Yeah, I know where this is going. What I really wanna know is, why is Calem so silent and secretive? I mean, he hardly spoke to anyone. Even while saving citizens, all he did was help. Not a word from him."

"That's how he has always been." Shauna spread her palms out. "But why are you asking all this?"

"If I tell you, would you be willing to keep it between us?"

"Sure, it isn't like Calem is my best friend anyway." Shauna shrugged. "And the others don't really care much—maybe Trevor, but I hide a lot of things from him, so it won't be a problem."

"All right." Gary nodded. "The whole time during that Garchomp incident, I noticed Calem’s eyes glued to Serena. Even when he was flying and rescuing people, he made sure she was in his line of vision. I thought it was because he liked her or something, but now when Serena told him she was journeying with Ash, he didn’t even flinch. You saw how Tierno reacted, but Calem didn’t move a muscle. It was like, he didn’t care with whom Serena went. That’s not how someone with any romantic feelings would act in such a situation. I have a gut feeling that he is either suffers from Dissociative Identity Disorder, or is up to something shady.”

"Hmm. I don't really care what his intentions are, I just hope he doesn't mess around with Serena."

"I hope so too, Shauna," Gary said, staring at Serena and Bonnie playing with Pikachu. "I hope so too."

* * *

Ash reached the stands as per the Professor’s instructions and found the water type. He was facing away from him. They were they only ones around since the Professor sent back all the students due to the Garchomp episode. Since the lab and its porch were the only victims of Team Rocket’s terror, this part and the academy remained unscathed. It was chilly and remotely peaceful.

“Froakie?” Ash called.

Froakie turned around with a hop and smiled at Ash. **“Hello?”** he tilted his head.

Ash chuckled. “It’s Ash, Froakie,” he kneeled to the water-type’s level.

**“Hello, Ash.”**

Ash rubbed Froakie’s head. “Hello, Froakie. I guess I have somethings to explain—”

**“That you can understand Pokémon?”**

Ash laughed. “I’m not surprised you figured.”

**“Wasn’t too hard, you talk to your Pokémon like they are humans.”**

“Ha-ha, guess you’re right, but that not all I came here to tell you. I also wanted to thank you for saving back there.”

**“Are you kidding?”** Froakie asked with widened eyes. **“You risked your life to save mine. I should be the one thanking you.”**

“I didn’t really risk my life, you know. I knew Pidgeot would catch us before we crashed, but if you didn’t come with Pikachu and Pidgeot, Garchomp would have threw me from her and who knows what might have happened then?”

**“Your Pidgeot would have caught you?”**

“Yeah, maybe.” Ash rubbed under his nose.

**“I guess we should both thank each other then,”** Froakie suggested.

“Yeah, sure.”

“Thankyou!” both said together. They shared a short chuckle at the jinx.

**“C-can I ask you something?”**

"Anything, Froakie."

Froakie bashfully looked down and away. **"Would you take me as your Pokémon?"** he asked softly. **“I may not be as strong as your other Pokémon, but I promise to work the hardest of all.”**

"Huh?" Ash's face went blank. "You're joking, right? I heard you help people and Pokémon in the city. That’s a very noble thing you’re doing and I’m sure it makes you feel good, but if you join me, you won’t be able to do that anymore. You probably won't see this city again. I can't do that to you, Froakie."

" **I know that, but—"** Froakie paused. **"—I always wanted to join a trainer and see the world, but I never found the right one. The trainers who choose me as a starter only wanted me for my strength and the experienced ones treated me like another puppet in their collection. I thought I lost my dream of traveling the world, so I settled in this city. But today, when you risked your life for me, a Pokémon you never met before, I knew you'd do anything for your own. I’m sure you treat all your Pokémon with respect and care for them equally. That is the type of trainer I’ve been searching for as my master."** He extended his arms forward and bowed his head. **"Please, Master Ash. Please accept me. I beg you."**

"You don't need to ask like that, Froakie." Ash picked the water type and met his gaze. He had a fierce resolution behind those yellow ovoid eyes. "I will be glad to have a Pokémon like you join me, Froakie, but what about Professor Sycamore? Would he allow? You are a regional starter, after all."

" **Don't worry about the Professor,"** Froakie said. **"He gave me permission long ago to choose any trainer I like."**

Ash grinned, flashing his teeth. "All right then, Froakie, but, I’ll have to warn you: joining my team means playing with fire every day."

**“That’s what I want,”** Froakie grinned. **“I’m a water type, so playing with fire should be easy for me.”**

Ash deadpanned.

**“Bad joke?”** Froakie grinned foolishly.

“Very,” Ash said. “But if you really wanna join my team, then there are some secrets you should know before that. I want your word that these secrets will remain only with you, should you refuse to join me after hearing them.” Ash placed Froakie back on the ground. He too took a seat of the dusty surface; this might take a while.

**“You have my word, but is it that serious?”**

“Yes. Only my Pokémon know about it,” Ash said. He went on to explain all the events related to his aura at The Tree of Beginning, his dream, conversations with Mew, his training at Assumption Island, the seven spirits, and the Keystones of Infinity.

Froakie’s jaw dropped. He blinked protractedly. **“Wow!”**

Ash rubbed his finger under his nose. “Yeah, in short: me and every Pokémon in my team is destined to fight for the world’s fate. Are you still interested to join?”

Froakie jumped in his position with a grin. **“I couldn’t ask for more. I’d love to be a part of the Chosen One’s army.”**

“Ha-ha-ha, one more thing, Froakie. In my team, nobody calls me with a title like master, or anything else. Ash will suffice.”

" **Sure."**

"All right, then, Froakie, you ready?" Ash pulled out an empty Pokéball.

Froakie nodded.

"Go, pokéball." Ash threw the Pokéball at Froakie.

A red glare engulfed the Bubble Frog Pokémon. The Pokéball shook a few times and stooped with a beep.

Ash picked up Froakie’s Pokéball. This was his fourteenth member in his team and for some odd reason, Ash felt Froakie would not only be another part of his family but also be an integral part of his destined quests. He had a hunch, together they’d accomplish some of the greatest feats ever.

“Let’s win the league and save this world together, Froakie.”

The Pokéball shook in his hand.

* * *


	10. Gary's Internship

“Hope you all got some sleep.” Professor Sycamore winded his head back, glancing at his wrecked lab. Team Rocket’s ambush yesterday demolished most of its glass exterior, creating a large crater in the domed architecture. “Even though it’s a mess in there.”

“Yeah, I slept like a Snorlax,” Ash stretched his arms, exemplifying the peaceful slumber he got. He stood on the porch outside the lab with Pikachu and Serena, ready to begin with their journey on the bright early morning as they’ve planned the previous day.

 **“So, did I,”** the yellow rodent flashed a quick peace sign.

“I had a good sleep too,” Serena voiced in.

“But, Professor, how are you going to carry your research with all the equipment broken?” Ash asked. Last night when he strolled around the lab, there wasn’t a single machine left undamaged, and he was certain that the Professor might be out of work for a while, at least until he got them fixed (which seem impractical with the degree of wreckage), or got newer machinery.

“Ha-ha, don’t you worry Ash. I’ve made the necessary phone calls. Why do you think I was busy yesterday? The lab will be as good as new in no time.” The professor stroked his chin. “In fact, I plan on remodeling it this time.”

“That’s awesome! I can’t wait to see it.”

“So, you’ve _finally_ decided, huh, Professor?” Serena said.

“Yes, Serena. I _finally_ did,” the Professor smiled. “Oh, and by the way Ash, have you received a Kalos Region PokéDex yet?”

“Nope! Haven’t gotten around it. I was hoping you could help me with that.”

“Very well, then, here you go,” Professor Sycamore handed him a black glass slab like device. It had no buttons, no flip function, no pulsating lights, no antenna, no nothing. It was unlike any Pokédex he had owned before. “This is a recent invention called a smartphone.”

“Smartphone?”

“Yes, it’s an all in one device. Not only does it function as an inter-regional Pokédex, but is also a mobile telephone with tons of other features,” the Professor said. “It’s so convenient that all you need to do is enter your trainer ID when you turn it on and _viola_ , all your data is synced and you’re ready to go.”

“Uh-huh, I have one too,” Serena said and dug into her backpack. “Ta-dah!” she flashed her device in a pink case with red hearts all over.

“This is awesome!” Ash exclaimed, checking out his new smartphone, but in reality, he was searching for the power button which he failed to find. Maybe he needed a little guidance before he could begin to use it. “Thanks a lot, Professor. Now all that’s left is for me to register in the Kalos League.”

“That shouldn’t be much trouble. All Pokémon Centres provide the trainers with registration facilities. You can do it anywhere.”

“You leaving, Ashy-boy?” Gary walked in, still dressed in his pajamas. “Hraaaaarrhh,” he yawned, covering his drowsy mouth.

“Yes, you were asleep when we woke up, didn’t want to disturb you.”

Gary replied with a lethargic nod. He stepped forward and held his hand out. “Good luck on your journey then.”

“Thanks, Gary,” Ash shook his friend’s hand. Gary, capitalizing on the grip, pulled Ash closer and leaned into his ear.

“Don’t you screw up your chance with Serena. You understand?”

Ash flinched. “W-What do you mean?”

“You should try in movies sometime. Huh, see you ‘round, Ash,” Gary smirked. “You too, Serena.”

“Heeeeeeyyyy!” a shrill cry broke in, gathering all five sets of eyes to it.

“It’s Bonnie,” Ash recognized the immature voice of the girl. She was sprinting towards them, her sling bag unrestrainedly dangling around her shoulder. Her poor Dedenne held for his life in it.

Bonnie lurched to the porch and stopped before Ash. She held her knees and caught her breath. “I’m… I’m… so glad… to have found… you,” she said between gasps.

“Slow down, Bonnie. What’s the matter?” Ash asked.

Bonnie slackened her breathing. “Ash,” she exhaled and straightened her bent posture. “Ash, do you think Clemont and I could tag along with you?”

“You want to join in on our journey?”

“Mmm-hm,” Bonnie nodded. “Only for a little time, Ash. You see, Clemont and I always wanted to go on a journey, but we never got the chance. Can you allow us? Please,” she clasped hands. She had that innocuous face of a four-year-old when she made that request. There was no way, someone with a sound conscience could deny her.

“Sure, Bonnie, why not? The more, the merrier,” Ash said. “Are you okay with that?”

Serena smiled. “Why not? It’d be great to have them join us.”

“Yippee!” Bonnie sprang up on her feet, throwing her arms out. “I’m so happy that you both agreed. Bonnie is happy, Bonnie is happy,” she cheered. “Aren’t you happy too, Dedenne?” she asked her Antenna Pokémon.

 **“Ne-ne-ne.”** Ash found it amusing that Dedenne, despite being able to talk, only conversed in Pokémon speech. He was either too smart to say words and have people not understand him, or too lazy to come up with the right words. Either way, this was the first time he came across such a quirky Pokémon, well not the first time, his Pikachu was way past any quirky threshold.

“Where is Clemont though?” Serena skimmed her eyes around for the onesie scientist. “I don’t see him with you.”

“I… I… am here,” a bushed voice croaked from behind the brick wall. Curious, everyone stepped off the lawn to investigate.

Clemont plodded on the sidewalk, using the wall as a support to advance his steps. He perspired profusely like he was on his last triathlon lap. A series of successive gasps escaped his mouth as he dragged himself towards the group.

“Speak of the devil,” Bonnie slapped her forehead and sighed in disdain.

Clemont dropped with a fizzle at Bonnie’s feet.

“Are you all right, Clemont?” Ash asked, concern evident in his voice. He helped the blond scientist to his feet.

“Yes… I’m fine… Ash,” Clemont huffed, standing with Ash’s support. He continued to latch on the scar-faced trainer’s shoulder as he gained his breath. “Thanks for asking,” he huffed again.

“He’ll be fine. My brother is a riffraff when it comes to physical work.”

“Err, okay,” Ash sweatdropped.

“Hey, brother, Ash allowed us to travel with him. You better keep up with us if you don’t want to be left behind.”

“I-I promise to try my best.”

Ash turned towards the lab. “Good luck with your research, Professor and Gary.”

“Thank you, Ash. Good luck with your journey,” the professor said.

Gary crossed his arms and nodded.

“All right then, let’s go!” Ash thrust his fist in the air.

“So soon?” Clemont’s hand flew to his chest. “I just arrived here. Can we start after a while?”

“Nope! We’re leaving now,” Bonnie said, pushing Clemont away from the lab. “We can’t slow Ash down.”

“Uh?” Ash uneasily looked at Serena. “We can wait for a while, can’t we?”

Serena shrugged. “We can take a break later too, can’t we?”

“Yeah, that’s an option. All right then, let’s go!”

* * *

Gary stared at the diminishing image of Ash and his newly formed travel group, a certain urge of following behind them on their journey taunted him. It’s been years since he’s been on one, and Ash’s enthusiasm only drove his urge further. However, no matter how inclined he was, he had a duty towards his own calling.

“What do you say we talk of your internship now?” Professor Sycamore said.

Gary scoffed surreptitiously. This was it—his misfortune begins now. Around the world, there were over a hundred reputed professors and researchers he could have worked for. Given his acclaimed achievements in the research industry, most of them would have readily accepted him as their assistant too, but to his dismay, here he was, stuck and compelled to work under a maniac like Sycamore. Did his grandfather put any thought before recommending his name? Didn’t seem like it; If he had, the brunet wouldn’t be standing here, doomed. Besides, what internship was this professor even talking about? The skirmish against Team Rocket destroyed most of the lab and the equipment inside. Aside from janitor chores and building repairs, there was nothing much to work on. Well, he might as well play the ball, since he was here anyway. Perhaps he could use this time to find a convincing argument to give his gramps when he returned to Kanto next week. His plan was set in stone: he would hear the professor out, act like he was working for a few days, tell him this research wasn’t his cup of tea, and board the next flight to Kanto. He mustered a fake smile. “All right, Professor. Tell me about the internship.”

“Ha-ha-ha,” Professor Sycamore laughed. “I know what’s in your mind, I honestly don’t blame you for that.”

“There is nothing going on in my mind, Professor. I’m actually looking forward to working with you.”

“You can drop that charade now; your friends are long gone.” Sycamore swatted the air dismissively. “I know the standard of my reputation among you young folk. What do you’ll call me? A maniac, right?” he scratched his chin, “or did you’ll promote me to a lunatic?”

Gary flinched with a gulp. Sycamore knew all about that? Well, to be fair, in retrospect, Gary should’ve been surprised if he didn’t know about it. It wasn’t like the journals and blabbering mouths remained low-key with their taunts. But if the professor was indeed aware of all that, then why did he choose to put up with it? All he had to do was revert to his expertise—Mega Evolution Research and his entire tarnished reputation would end in a snap. Gary vividly remembered that a few years ago, the professor was neither mocked nor called any names, in fact, he was highly respected, revered one could say, for his research on Mega Stones and their origin, but the moment he abandoned his booming project, the tables flipped over. The scientific societies scoffed at him, the junior researchers had lost their respect and ridiculed him, stamping him as a maniac (which made no sane sense), and more importantly, as far as Gary’s sources went, even his loyal sponsors withdrew from their support. That must have been hard pill to swallow. Gary, personally, would’ve never showed his face to the world, was he in Sycamore’s shoes, but Professor Sycamore—he took all that criticism with grace, a quality in him Gary applauded even till this day.

“No, Professor, that’s not how I think.” Gary shook his head.

Sycamore raised an eyebrow. “Are you sure about that?”

“Yes, of course.” Gary stood his ground. He may dislike the once reputed professor, but the least he could do was offer him a little respect. He was superior to Gary in all aspects relating research, and that’s one thing nobody can take away from the man.

“Marvelous!” Sycamore clapped his hands, but he didn’t seem to believe in Gary. “Now, come along. There is a lot to show you.” He motioned Gary to follow.

What could be there to see? Apart from the ravaged equipment, half-burnt paper scraps, and devastated rooms. Well, it shouldn’t be too long before he finds out.

Gary trudged behind Sycamore who led him to the end of the lab, marked by a large white wall. Attached to the unsoiled barrier, in the corner, was a computerized contraption, complicated enough for Gary to be unfamiliar with. This was the only machine undamaged as if an invisible shield had protected it. “What are we doing here? Didn’t you say you had something to show me?”

“That’s why we are here,” Professor Sycamore said. “Now, Gary, what you’re about to see has been seen only by a handful of people in the world. And honestly, I’d prefer it that way, but Professor Oak requested me to take you in on this project, and I respect him too much to decline.”

“You mean, you didn’t want me to work under you?”

“Not really,” the professor said with a shake of his head. “I am sorry to say this, but you are here only because of your grandfather’s recommendation.”

That statement pinched Gary’s expression as if the Professor hung a placard with the words, ‘a worthless piece of shit’ around his neck. If his surname brought him here and not his achievements then what’s the point? Sure, he planned to leave the next day, but the professor’s outright announcement his displeasure didn’t please him too much. Though Gary was proud of his heritage, he never wanted that _Oak_ tag to shadow him all his life. Walking in his grandfather’s size-twenty shoes was one thing, but if his efforts for trying to fit in them went unrecognized the why bother? He aspired to leave a distinct mark through his own name and going by the way Sycamore put it, he hadn’t even walked an inch in them. “Then why don’t you send me back? I am clearly of no use to you.”

“I never said that,” Sycamore chuckled, breaking the developed ice between the two. “I just wanted this research to remain hidden, and the first step towards that is to limit the number of people working on it. In fact, I am more than happy to have someone like you working for me.”

“Huh?” A flash of realization lightened Gary’s eyes. “So, you don’t think I’m useless?”

“Ha-ha-ha,” Sycamore laughed. He placed a hand on Gary’s shoulder. “You are the youngest and one of the most brilliant researchers of your generation. How could I ever think of you as useless? I didn’t mean to offend you by saying that, but I want to be completely honest with you. I hope you understand.”

Gary smiled in satisfaction. He could perhaps learn a little patience from time to time. “I understand,” he said and slowly began to consider his options working under Sycamore. Even though he was here due to his grandfather, the way Sycamore called him a _brilliant researcher_ gratified his ego, striking his weak spot. Additionally, the professor’s mysterious research piqued his curiosity. “So, what is it you wanted to show?”

“Wait and watch.” Professor Sycamore placed his palm on the screen of the sophisticated computer.

“Finger prints scan complete. level one access granted. Please proceed to level two.” A cybernated female voice spoke.

The professor leaned in and pushed his face towards the device.

“Iris scans complete. Level two access granted. Please proceed to level three.”

Sycamore typed in a few commands and the device emitted a green light scanning his torso.

“Heart weight and lung volume scan complete. All levels cleared. Welcome, Professor Augustine Sycamore.”

The solid wall before Gary slid across the floor and revealed a large bluish pill-shaped pod. The azureous glass of the enclosed chamber retracted to its sides—it was an elevator.

“What the…?” Gary gasped, baffled at the strict security behind an elevator. He gawked at the professor. _What’re you researching, my man?_

Professor Sycamore smiled at Gary’s puzzled face. He gestured his hand towards the elevator. “After you.”

Gary, dumbfounded at the unforeseen sight, adhered to the professor’s direction, and entered the modernized elevator. It didn’t have any buttons like a normal elevator but a palm-sized black screen in the corner.

Professor Sycamore joined him after, and placed his thumb on the screen. A beep noise followed, and the doors of the elevator converged, enclosing the duo inside the pod. The motors of the elevator graunched and they propelled downward, possibly to an underground research facility.

“Where are we going?” Gary asked, carrying the same confused look from before. He had an inkling he was either about to witness something magnificent or something lame, and the further he dwelled, the more he was convinced it was be the former.

“Why don’t you wait until we reach? It shouldn’t be too long.”

Gary nodded. He could wait a little while longer to find out what exactly was going on in this place.

Seconds later, the elevator came to halt and the doors slid out. A glistening narrow path revealed. Clean walls, bleached ceilings, and marbled flooring—whiteness filled Gary’s sight. The walls reflected the light shone by the LEDs on the ceiling and made the pathway appear even brighter, if it wasn’t bright enough already. The only erroneous object around was a silvery door knob at the far end of the hall to the side.

“Where are we, Professor?” Gary swiveled his head around, scrutinizing his surroundings, but all he discovered was apt cleanliness and a pungent odor of cleaning alcohol.

“About six hundred meters below the ground,” Sycamore said. “In my secret laboratory.” He walked ahead and signaled Gary to follow behind.

“What is it that you do here that you can’t in your _official_ lab?” Gary asked, following the professor. The level of security and the degree of secrecy slightly daunted him. If Sycamore was as genuine as his grandfather claimed, then this man was up to something big. Perhaps his gramps actually meant it when he said that Sycamore was pursuing a path towards the greater good. Whatever it was, Gary couldn’t wait to find out.

“Patience, Gary. You sure lack that,” Sycamore said, unlocking the door to his underground facility. “Welcome to my laboratory.”

Gary’s eyes expanded and his hand instinctively covered his mouth. Contrary to the size of the lab above, this facility was over three times larger. He could probably fit all his scores of Pokémon in it, and still be left with enormous room to work with. He blinked in amazement as he followed the professor inside.

Organized in all four corners were various scientific machines and computers. The walls had numerous OLED screens, all running complex computations and code. To one of his side was a large see-through glass, behind which there were more specialized equipment. To the other side were a few closed doors, one of which had a red label of ‘STRICTLY CONFEDENTIAL’ on it. However, the most noticeable feature around was the giant rectangular table in the centre of the lab. If it were a dining table, it could probably hold a group of at least thirty individuals. Various three-dimensional holographic objects, models, and calculations hovered over it. Gary’s first thought at this outlandish spectacle was that, Sycamore was not at all maniac, period.

“How do you like it? Marvelous, aye?” Professor Sycamore asked. “Perhaps I should get a few posters up on the walls to add some grandeur, don’t you think?” A cocky smile twisted his lips.

“F-fuckin’ awesome,” Gary blurted out. What else could he say otherwise, his entire bucket list of research equipment and the many others he had never even knew existed or heard lay right in front of eyes. This was a researcher’s paradise in which one could conduct any type of research.

“Ha-ha. I did expect—”

“Professor, glad you could—” a young woman entered from behind a closed door. She dropped the bundle of files in her hands as she realized the presence of Gary. Her cheeks marginally flushed. “Wha-what’s h-he doing here?”

“What’re you doing here?” Gary sucked in a quick breath. If the hidden lab failed to knock him off his feet, then the sight of the woman whom he had saved yesterday surely did. The tender sensation of her soft lips still lingered on his cheek. He wanted to ask her name and details then, but somehow, amidst the rumpus, it didn’t seem like a good idea. But, little did he know he would meet her again, that too in a place such as this.

“It seems you two are already acquainted.”

“Yes, Professor. He’s the guy who saved my life yesterday,” the woman said. Her scarlet face screamed to Gary that she remembered the moment after. “Thank you again,” she bowed.

“Oh, is that so?” Sycamore held Gary’s shoulder and shook his hand. “I appreciate you saving her.”

“Ah, it was no big deal,” Gary dismissed with a chuckle, although his mind led him to believe, he had the whole world under his foot at that moment.

“Anyway, let me officially introduce you two. Gary, this is my assistant, Sophie. She has been working under me for about two years now. And, Sophie, this is Gary, my new intern and assistant who would soon work along with you,” he eyeballed Gary, “should he choose to accept.”

Was Sycamore kidding? Of course, he would accept. Whatever research it maybe, Gary was ready to swoop at it. The confidentiality of the project and the underground laboratory, filled with his dream equipment, were more than enough reasons to convince him. In addition to that, the cute girl he met yesterday was going to be his peer? Arceus must be crazy, what more could he ask for? Maybe Sophie was a little older than him, probably by three or five years at best, but age was just a number for Gary, and a mere number never stopped him from a pursuit before. He always had a certain inclination towards older women like her, he thought that maturity dawned a certain sensual flair in the female gender—they were more experienced, more adventurous, more passionate, and the best of all: a lot lesser pain in the ass than those emotionally wrecked teenage damsels. And given that he already passed the first hurdle and made a good lasting first impression on her, the alley just opened its gates to him. _Gramps, you are the absolute best. Amazing lab to work in and a hot chick to work with. Could this get any better?_ He saw a glimpse of his grandfather’s smirking vision. He instantly dismissed his plan of returning to Kanto. “I’m in, Professor,” he said, rather nonchalantly, but mentally, he danced like a _maniac_ on his victory lap.

“That’s aweso—” Sophie slapped her mouth, breaking her fueled excitement. “Ahem, ahem. That sounds wonderful. I look forward to working with you, mister Gary.”

“Yeah, I’m looking forward to it too. And please, call me Gary.” He turned towards the professor. “Could you brief me on your research? I’d like to get started right away.”

“Marvelous! That’s what I’d like to hear,” Sycamore spread his arms wide. “Sophie, would you?”

“Yes, Professor,” Sophie stepped towards the large centre table and typed in some commands on the attached miniaturized computer. A new set of holograms replaced the ones before. Ancient stone-like relics, etched with cryptic symbols and various hieroglyphics floated up.

“Gary, what you are seeing here is the crux of my entire research.” Sycamore pointed to the hologram. “I like to call it, The Mystical Stone of Marvelousness.”

“You’re not really good with names, are you, Prof?” Gary rolled his eyes.

“Ha-ha, I am a part scientist after all,” Sycamore laughed. “Anyway, that’s beside the point. You see these inscriptions on this stone?” He made a few hand gestures and zoomed in on the symbols.

“Yes, but I’m not familiar with this script.” Gary peered closer and stroked his nonexistent beard. “I don’t think I ever saw something like this.”

“This is a script lost in time, it’s obvious that you haven’t seen it before. Deciphering it itself consumed well over four years.”

“Wow!” Gary muttered, bewitched by this new relic and its ancient script. Despite his distinguished performance in fields like evolution and species variation, his real passion always lied in the relics department, but unfortunately most of the discovered artifacts were analyzed from top to bottom without leaving a single leaf unturned. That left the newer generations with nothing left to work on. To add salt to the injury, finding new remnants and artifacts was next to impossible for younger researchers given the dominance of veterans in this field who blatantly discouraged newer talents giving a lame reason of inexperience. It made Gary wonder, if rookies are never allowed to step foot in that field then how the fuck could someone gain the required experience? It’s not something which came mysteriously one morning. The excuse was as flimsy as blaming onions for crying while watching a rom-com. But if Sycamore’s research revolved anything around this relic, he hit the jackpot.

“What’s mentioned in this script, Professor?” He fingered the glowing text.

“These inscriptions, they talk about the Spirits of Karma.”

Gary shut his eyes and threw his head back, dwelling into his mind-palace, but never during his voluminous studies had he come across that term. “Nope! Never heard before.”

“I’m not surprised, our current civilization is about eight or nine thousand years old and only about three-four thousand years ago did we enter into modernization.”

“That’s the abstract of every anthropology article ever written. What about the spirits?”

“I’m coming to that,” the Professor said. “The spirits are strong energy signatures buried deep within earth. They are known to awaken once in every _ten-thousand_ years. Tell me, Gary, have you heard of the Great Extinction before?”

“The point in history where almost the entire life on earth was wiped out? Yeah, sure, I have an idea about that. Is that what you are researching here?”

“It is and it is not. You see, from various fossils and other evidences gathered, we can conclude that several extinctions took place on our planet in the past and the Great Extinction, about a billion years ago, was the first of them all. During my research, I found a strong correlation between the Spirits of Karma and the Great Extinction and the extinctions that followed.”

“What correlation?”

“I strongly believe that these spirits were responsible for most, if not all of them.”

“Wait, what? These energies are so powerful?” Gary squinted. Up to his knowledge, the environmental extremities and natural calamities were the cause for all those extinctions, not some absurdly named energy signatures. Spirits of Karma? sounds like someone lacked creativity and simply used a thesaurus to replace the term ‘forces of destiny.’ Whoever it was, should have stuck to the original form, forces of destiny had a nice oomph to it. _Meh, noob._ “How can you be so sure, Professor? There can be other reasons too, right?”

“Yes, there can be,” Sycamore said. “But my theory comes from various evidences I found during my years of research, and on hindsight, I don’t think I’m wrong. I’m two-hundred percent positive of my findings.”

The confidence behind Sycamore’s voice and the unwavering eye contact he maintained were enough to convince Gary, but for further confirmation, he turned to Sophie. _“Is he?”_ he mouthed.

Sophie nodded. Even she looked to believe in Professor’s theory. Of course, she would. She spent the last two years working on this after all.

Damn! Mystical powers and world extinctions? Never in his wildest fantasies did Gary think such forces could exist, and if what the professor said was indeed true, then was there an extinction soon? That thought itself rose goosebumps on his arms. This conversation began to scare him. Shit just got real, didn’t it? He swallowed his rising jitters and cleared his throat. He was Gary Oak, the great not a dickhead. “H-how is the world still alive then? You said, the s-spirits emerge every ten-thousand years, so was there an extinction every time?”

“Ha-ha-ha,” Sycamore laughed. “I see your apprehension, but don’t worry, the spirits aren’t always corrosive. It actually depends on the how the wielder chooses to use them.”

“Wielder?”

“Hmm-mm,” Sycamore nodded. “Sophie?”

“Yes, sir.” Sophie walked into that door with the initials ‘STRICTLY CONFEDENTIAL’ and returned with a journal. She handed it to the professor.

“Take this.” the professor gave the journal to Gary. “It contains the gist of my entire research. Take your time to read, I’ll be right back.”

Gary quickly flipped through the pages. It wasn’t too long, so he decided to read to right away. Professor Sycamore left Sophie with him to help with any discrepancies he might face; it elated Gary. He could finish reading the journal in a few minutes and flirt till the professor returned, however his elation didn’t last long. The moment he finished with the first page, a plethora of emotions swirled in him. He was anxious, frightened, amazed, fascinated, and relieved—all at the same time.

He shut the last page of the journal and looked questioningly at Sophie. “Is this all true?”

“Seems like it. That’s where all the evidences point at.”

“So, the next awakening of the spirits is soon, huh?”

“Professor estimates that it has already began, didn’t you read page twelve? He mentioned it clearly there.”

“I did, I just—”

The sound of a door opening caught their attention. “Am I intruding?” Professor Sycamore said with an impish smirk.

“Uh, no. Not at all,” Gary said. “I’ve just finished reading.”

“So, what do you think?” Sycamore approached the Kanto trainer-researcher.

“I’m baffled, Prof. I don’t know whether I should believe in this or not.”

“Trust me, I’ve been there.”

“You talked about the Archean Prophecy, the role of the Chosen One, the Wandering and the Juggernaut Spirits, and so on.”

“That’s the gist I mentioned.”

“But Professor, if you believe in your research so strongly, why would you want it hidden? If your evidences and theories are right, why not come out in public? It could clear your ruined name in no time.”

“Hmm,” Sycamore paused and brushed his forehead. “Tell me something, Gary: what was your initial reaction when I told you what the spirits are capable of?”

“Uh, I was a little… err, scared, to be frank.” Gary’s chin dipped.

“Exactly. Nobody would think of the marvelous things the spirits can do when in right hands. It’s the darker side which will steal limelight. If this research comes out, it would be difficult to even imagine the public’s reaction and consequences which might follow.”

“Guess you are right there. So, that’s why all this high security, huh?”

Sycamore blinked with a nod.

“I’m sorry, but there are still a few things I don’t follow. You haven’t even talked about them in your journal.”

“They are?”

“If there is a Chosen One to stop these spirits from causing mayhem, then how did those extinctions happen in the first place? Did the previous Chosen Ones fail? Or was there some other reason? How is the Chosen One this time? And how did these spirits even originate? There are many missing links like that.”

“I’m aware, Gary, and that’s exactly what we are trying to find out here.”

* * *


	11. On Road

“I’m really tired, Ash. Please, can we stop and take a break?” Serena held her hips in fatigue. They trudged for six hours through Route-4, with occasional water breaks which lasted no more than a few minutes.

“Uh? What are you saying, Serena?” Ash hoisted his head and ran the back of his hand over his brow, wiping the sweat from his eyes and squinting at the noonday sun. “The day’s still young. We can take a break at the first Pokémon Center we find, all right?”

With Bonnie’s unbroken chain of questions about his ability to communicate with Pokémon (already known by Serena), which Ash answered patiently adjourning his aura secret for another day, and Clemont’s crawling pace, they only managed to cover less than half the distance. A break now can only erode Ash’s glimmering hope of a gym battle today and he wasn’t going to let that happen.

“Yeah, come on, Serena. You can do this,” Bonnie skipped forward and overtook the honey-blonde in two casual hops. “See, it’s that easy.”

“Nope! No more!” Serena dropped to the ground recklessly. The Serena Ash knew of would think a hundred times before committing to that impulsive act which was bound to ruin her dress. “Humph,” she puffed her cheeks. “I need a break and I mean now! Right now!”

“Serena—”

“G-g-g-g-guysssss,” Clemont groaned, crawling through the dirt with whatever stamina left in him. His blue jumpsuit had sweat patches all over it, despite its waterproof capabilities (as gloated by Clemont).

“Clemont!” Bonnie ran to attend her brother.

“Get it now, _Mr. Ketchum_?” Serena cocked her head.

**“Let’s take a break, Ash,”** Pikachu said from atop Ash’s head.

Ash sagged his posture. With his companions in their current state, going onward with his journey seemed bleak. “I guess we could all use a break.” He sat down with a sigh and leaned against a tree trunk beside Serena.

“You do realize that this is our first journey, don’t you, Ash?” Serena dabbed the sweat off her face with a handkerchief, her face unconventionally red, like her blood vessels overpowered her Caucasian skin.

“Err.” Ash scratched his cheek and with a mortified chuckle. His experience with travelling around four regions (Kanto, Orange Islands, Johto, and Hoenn) and the vigorous training he received at Assumption Island had strengthened his endurance to a point where walking long distance seemed like an evening stroll in the park. It insulated him from every brunt a of a journey, but he failed to recognize his companion’s physical limitations. “Sorry, I was too excited for my gym battle so I never thought about that.”

“I can understand, but you should remember that it’s difficult for us to keep up with your energy. You always had a little more than everyone around you.”

**“Your excitement is the cause of all troubles,”** Pikachu said. **“Do you realize how tired I can get with all this travel?”** He stretched his arms and comfortably nestled in his trainer’s lap.

“You’ve been riding on me the whole time, Pikachu,” Ash deadpanned.

**“Yeah, but holding onto you takes energy,”** Pikachu yawned. **“I have very little of that to spare.”**

“You’re always welcome to go back into your Pokéball,” Ash smirked. He unclipped the old Pokéball he always carried from his belt. Despite its age, it looked glossy and brand new, not a single scratch. Why wouldn’t it? As far as Ash’s memory jogged, his devious mouse never went into it. “You can rest all you want. I swear, I won’t disturb you.”

Pikachu jumped out of Ash’s lap, crouched on his fours, and scowled. **“Give it a try, I dare you. I double dare you.”**

Ash made his own intimidatory glare. “Yeah, what will you do?” Serena’s muted giggle chimed in his ears.

“Ash?” Bonnie approached with a guilty look.

“Yes, Bonnie?”

“Is it all right if we continue our journey tomorrow? Big brother is in no condition to travel anymore.”

“Don’t worry, Bonnie. I think this is a good place to set camp for today.”

“I’m sorry, Ash, if not for me, you’d have reached Santalune City by nightfall,” Clemont said from behind Bonnie. He too took a resting spot against a tree, but in state far exhausted and grief-stricken than the rest.

“No, Clemont. I should be sorry. It slipped my mind that this is your first journey. We can take it easy for a while until you get used to it,” Ash said. his eyes kindled an animated glint. “Hey, I know!” He sprung on his feet. “We should call out our Pokémon and let them introduce each other. We have plenty of time to kill.”

“Yay! Yay! Yay!” Bonnie jumped on her toes. “Pokémon! Pokémon! Pokémon!”

“You’re right,” Serena got up. “It’s funny how we haven’t done that yet.”

“All right, then, come on out,” he hurled his three Pokéballs in air. Serena and Clemont followed suit and called their Pokémon out.

A small horde of Pokémon materialized before them and greeted each other. All except Serena’s Eevee, who hid behind her trainer’s legs.

“Whoa! what Pokémon are those?” Ash pulled out his new smartphone, which was finally running, thanks to Serena’s help. He scanned all the foreign Pokémon, starting with Clemont’s.

_Chespin, the Spiny Nut Pokémon. Chespin can flex the soft spikes on its head, making them so stiff and sharp that it can even pierce through stone._

_Bunnelby, the Digging Pokémon. Bunnelby has ears like shovels which they use to dig burrows. Digging holes strengthens its ears so much that they can sever thick roots effortlessly._

_Luxray, the Gleam Eyes Pokémon. Its eyes can see through anything. It can even spot its prey hiding in the shadows._

He scanned Bonnie’s single Pokémon.

_Dedenne, the Antenna Pokémon. Dedenne communicates long distance with other Dedenne by sending radio waves through its antenna-like whiskers._

He scanned Serena’s Pokémon.

_Fennekin, the Fox Pokémon. Fennekin expels hot air that can reach nearly 400 degrees. It likes to snack on twigs._

_Pancham, the Playful Pokémon. Though it tries to look tough, Pancham has trouble being taken seriously by opponents._

He scanned his Froakie, whom he hadn’t registered yet.

_Froakie, the Bubble Frog Pokémon. From its chest and back, Froakie creates bubbles called frubbles, which act as a cushion and soften the blow of an opponent's attack._

_Type: Water_

_Gender: Male_

_Ability: *Unidentified* (locked)_

_Moves: Water pulse, Bubble, Pound._

Serena used her smartphone to scan Ash’s Pokémon.

_Pikachu, the Mouse Pokémon. This Pokémon has electricity-storing pouches on its cheeks. These appear to become electrically charged during the night while Pikachu sleeps. It occasionally discharges electricity when it is dozy after waking up._

_Pidgeot, the Bird Pokémon. It flies at Mach 2 speed, seeking prey. Its large talons are feared as wicked weapons. By flapping its wings with all its might, Pidgeot can make a gust of wind, capable of bending tall trees._

_Wartortle, the Turtle Pokémon. It cleverly controls its furry ears and tail to maintain its balance while swimming. The scratches on its shell are evidence of this Pokémon’s toughness in battle._

“Wow, Ash, your Pokémon seem really strong,” Serena said.

“And cute too,” Bonnie squealed.

At the praise from the two girls, Ash’s Pokémon grew a confident smirk. Especially Wartortle, who slammed his dark glasses on and plugged a cocky posture.

“Ash, can I take care of your Pokémon sometimes?” Bonnie asked in her innocent voice, but received no response. The amber-eyed trainer was senselessly staring down his smartphone. “Ash!”

“Huh?” Ash twitched. “You said something, Bonnie?”

“Yes, but you were too busy to hear me,” Bonnie pouted and flicked her gaze away.

“Is everything fine?” Serena asked in concern. “You suddenly dazed off.”

“Yeah, everything’s cool,” Ash said. “I was just wondering about Froakie’s ‘dex entry.”

“You can use mine if yours isn’t working.” Serena offered her device.

“No, mine’s working fine. It’s the ability of Froakie that I find strange.”

**“Uh?”** Froakie, who stood before Ash, tilted his head.

“It’s either Torrent or Protean. What’s so strange in that?”

“The device is unable to recognize his ability. It never happened with any of my Pokémon before.”

“What?” Serena asked with a blank face. “Are you sure? Even I’ve never heard of such a thing before.”

“See for yourself,” Ash showed Froakie’ data to Serena.

“It’s locked too.”

“Uh-huh.”

“Perhaps you should check it with Professor Sycamore. I’m sure he’ll either fix it or have a logical explanation.”

“Then I’ll do just that,” Ash said. He turned towards his Pokémon. “Guys, we are setting camp here. Do what you want, but just don’t go too far, all right?”

“Same goes for you’ll too,” Serena said. “Try not to leave this area.”

All Pokémon cheered and dispersed from the spot. Pidgeot flew into the sky. Wartortle moved to a secluded spot and began his nap. Pikachu and Froakie joined Serena’s Pokémon to converse with them. Clemont’s Pokémon (Bunnelby and Luxray) however, stayed by their trainer’s side like protective servants. Serena’s Eevee, like a misfit, jumped into the honey-blonde’s arms and snuggled hiding her face from the world.

“Chespin, it’s my turn to catch you. Come on, let’s go!” Bonnie sprinted after the Spiny Nut Pokémon with Dedenne perched in her bag.

“Bonnie, don’t go too far,” Clemont yelled, but his voice fell on deaf ears. Bonnie and Chespin were already way past the threshold his voice could cover. “When will you learn to listen to me,” he muttered.

“Don’t worry, Clemont, she will be fine,” Ash placed a reassuring hand on the spectacled trainer’s shoulder. “She has Dedenne and Chespin to keep her safe.”

“Yeah, you are right, I might be worrying for no reason,” Clemont sighed. “Anyway, how about I make today’s lunch? I’ll make a good meal before Bonnie returns.”

“Are you sure? You were in no condition to move a few minutes ago. I think you should leave the cooking to me and Serena.”

“Yes, you should rest. Ash and I will take care of everything,” Serena said. “You can cook tomorrow if you’d like.”

“Don’t worry, you guys, I can do this.” Clemont flexed his nonexistent biceps. “I’ll have Luxray and Bunnelby to assist me.”

“Why don’t we all help you then? That way, you’ll have less work and can finish fast,” Ash said. “What say, Serena?”

“I’d be glad to help.”

“Thanks for the offer, guys, but I’d prefer if I did it myself.” Clemont adjusted his glasses. “I’m comfortable that way.”

“You sure?”

Clemont nodded.

“All right then, Clemont. You got it,” Ash gave a thumbs-up.

* * *

Pikachu was involved in a general ice breaking conversation with Froakie, Fennekin, and Pancham. While he had known the blue Pokémon from yesterday’s debacle, this was his first interaction with Serena’s team. He needed them to have a good impression on him before he could plot his Kalos mission. A few days back when Ash had gone on a business trip before they boarded their plane to Kalos, Delia had a brief talk with him and his comrades (Along with Gary), after which, he was absolutely convinced he was the right ‘mon for the farfetched mission Delia put him to, but for his ‘Operation de-dense Ash’ to strive, he desperately needed the support of Serena’s Pokémon.

**“How long have you been with Ash, Pikachu?”** Froakie asked.

**“Over eight years,”** Pikachu said, his chest thrust out. For all the mindless arguments he had with Ash, he couldn’t deny how proud he was to have a trainer like him. He could’ve never asked for anyone better, nor did he think there was anyone better. **“We journeyed four regions till now: Kanto twice, Orange Islands, Johto and Hoenn. Kalos is our fifth.”**

**“You’ve been to four other regions before?”** Fennekin hopped on her hind legs. **“That’s amazing!”**

**“Of course, Ash and I love to travel and challenge the leagues in every region.”**

**“Even I want to travel to other regions, it has been my dream ever since I saw those foreign movies in Sycamore’s lab, but—”** Fennekin panned her head towards her trainer, who was sitting beside Ash. **“Serena is too lazy to even get up on time, let alone travel. Participating in showcases aside, we don’t get out of the house much, maybe to meet her friends occasionally, that’s all.”**

**“I heard of her laziness from Bonnie, but don’t worry, I am sure this journey will teach her a lot and hopefully, you can travel to other regions soon. A journey can change you in ways you don’t anticipate.”**

**“I thought you liked your trainer, Fennekin,”** Froakie said.

**“Of course, I love her, she takes the best care of us and loves us dearly, but I just wish she was a little more active.”** Fennekin said. **“Hopefully she will learn something from your trainer. Even if she gets one-tenth of his energy, I’d be happy beyond words.”**

**“Yeah, my trainer rocks!”** Froakie thrust his arm up.

**“Your trainer maybe cool to you, pal,”** Pancham sneered. He rolled his eyes towards Ash and Serena. **“But warn him—”** he glared at Froakie and Pikachu, **“to stay away from Serena, or else—,”** he rolled his clenched fist, **“he’ll have me to deal with.”**

**“Pancham!”** Fennekin grunted. **“Apologize—Now!”**

**“You better,”** Froakie bared his teeth and took a wide stance, ready to start a brawl. He didn’t look too pleased at the fighting type’s threat against Ash.

Pikachu studied the greyscale Pokémon and his threat, interested on how he judged Ash before he even knew him. This was one gritty fellow.

**“Why?”** Pancham puffed his cheeks out and crossed his arms against his chest. **“I won’t apologize, do what you want.”** He snapped his head away.

**“P-a-n-c-h-a-m!”** Fennekin bit her words out with her strong white fangs. For her size and the affable personality she radiated, she had quite the short temper. Getting on her bad side was not something Pikachu would suggest trying.

**“I’m sorry on Pancham’s behalf, Pikachu and Froakie”** Fennekin bowed her head. **“He doesn’t mean any harm. He is just a little overprotective of Serena, that’s all.”**

**“That’s all right,”** Pikachu said. He had come across many stubborn characters like this during his journeys, and honestly, he didn’t expect he’d receive an apology from leaf eating Pokémon. His pride was as pronounced as the light in a lighthouse.

Pancham gnawed on the leaf in his mouth as he met Pikachu’s eyes with a sassy shine. Pikachu knew of the curses that hardened stare carried. So, this stud would create a hinderance in his mission, huh? **_Meh, that’s cute. All the best, punk._**

**“So, Froakie, why have you decided to join Ash?”** Fennekin asked.

Froakie went on explaining how Ash inspired him and all, things which Pikachu was already aware of. He abstained from that conversational tangent and whirled his head towards Ash, engaged in a cheerful talk with Serena. He had been covertly observing their interaction for a while now and what caught his attention was, Serena’s sly attempt at scooting closer to Ash. It may have been imperceivable for any distant viewer, but it was next to impossible to deceive Pikachu’s razor eyes. He mentally smirked at the sight. **_Delia, our plan might succeed sooner than expected._**

As he continued to watch the interaction between his trainer and his trainer’s potential mate, his stealthy gaze landed on the dozing Pokémon in Serena’s lap. He had introduced himself to everyone here, except Eevee. **“I’ll be right back, guys,”** he said and marched towards Ash.

**“Yo, twisted tail,”** Pikachu heard Pancham call him. He hates being given weird names like that, the only exceptions to that rule being Ash and Big Red (Charizard). Had this been anyone else, he would have let loose his thunderbolt and electrocuted him a thousand times, but this arrogant fool was Serena’s Pokémon and the last thing that he wanted was for Serena to hate him, and on the flip side this was no time for a dispute. He could take care of him at the right time at the right moment. He swallowed his pride and turned towards the Playful Pokémon. **“What do you want?”** he asked.

Pancham smirked. He pointed his tridented paw at his eyes and flicked them towards Pikachu, insinuating the overused gesture: _I’ve got my eyes on you, pal._

Pikachu shook his head in displeasure. Great! Despite not wanting to, he seemed to have made already an enemy. But why was Pancham so hostile towards him? It wasn’t like he said or did something wrong, nor did he know Ash or him personally. Did the fighting-type discern his hidden agenda? Nope, not likely. Perhaps he liked to establish dominance—now that was likely. Whatever the case, ignoring him would be the right course of action for now. He disregarded the taunt and moved towards his trainer.

* * *

_Oh my gosh! oh my gosh! oh my gosh! is this really happening?_ Serena freaked out as her shoulder grazed against Ash’s, his rugged triceps depressing into her arm. The confined breadth of the tree trunk they rested their backs against compelled their bodies to press against each other. That inconsequential body contact, accompanied by the tranquil ambience of forest, and no one to disturb them stirred a poetry of flutters within her, rising her temperature like a thermometer dipped in a hot cup of coffee.

Despite coming to terms with her feelings for Ash, she lacked the much-needed courage to initiate a conversation with him. She ruined her chance of talking to him the previous day by accepting Shauna’s offer of window-shopping in Lumiose after Ash came back with Froakie. Though she enjoyed the girl-talk about her brave act on regional television, she did end up facing Shauna’s tease like she was the shortest member of a basketball team, but it was tease she rejoiced. However, it came at a cost. By the time she was back, Ash was asleep like a Slakoth on drugs.

And now that they were alone and awake, she had all the opportunity in the world to talk to Ash, but her voice gave out. It was so easy when they spoke on phone, but face-to-face seemed much complex than that. Some kind of an unknown force glued her mouth from breaking silence, persuading her that either her voice would sound like a new chalk on a blackboard or every word she would utter will only make Ash resent her. It made no sane sense since her voice was considered sweet by most standards and they practically knew each other for almost a lifetime, yet she was persuaded nevertheless. Mind is such a bitch when you need it to function.

An awkward silence bloomed between them, like an overinflated balloon waiting to be pierced by a needle of whisper. Her pulse escalated with every second the reticence continued.

The distant clinking of the utensils from Clemont’s cooking and the soft murmurs of the Pokémon talking were the only audible disturbances, feeble enough to not be called disturbances. Even the wind ceased its eternal whistle, giving them their much deserved privacy, if only one of them could make a judicious use of it.

She snooped at Ash, stealthily rolling her eyeballs: he was observing his and her Pokémon interact. A satisfied smile adorned his face. She smiled at his smile—it was pure and bright like a white paper just out of the paper mill. _Why doesn’t he say something,_ she shrieked at herself, irked by the building tension between them, but then again, she too was travelling in the same boat. She sighed dejectedly.

_Pat!_ Ash’s palm hit the ground, landing right next to Serena’s.

Serena hiccupped with a quick inhale; her eyes enlarged. She jerked her head away. _Did he do it on purpose? Is this some sort of a sign?_ She blinked unbelievingly. _This must be a sign._ She could sense the folds of her cheeks push their way into her eyes, diminishing the gap—slowly and slowly.

She bit her lip and unhurriedly took a sly peek at the two juxtaposed palms—just an inch apart, they were. Should she make a move or would it be too weird? Maybe it really was a gesture from him, but what if it isn’t? Doubts lingered in her head as her little finger twitched without any restraint. It danced left and right lyrically, like a pendulum operating within its bounds.

It flicked to the right, kissing Ash’s sweaty glove. _Stop it, Serena. You’ll ruin everything._

It snapped left, back to its position. _No, I won’t._

It moved right, again. _Don’t you dare._

Left. _That’s a sign from him, I’m sure._

Right. _No, please, no. That is not a sign._

Left. _It is, I know it._

Right…

“Serena.”

Serena yelped at Ash’s sudden call, retracting her hand like she just touched a boiling vessel. Did he notice what she was trying, hopefully not. She crossed her fingers behind her back.

“Ye-yes, A-Ash?” she stuttered, hiding her flamed face behind her chubby hair strands.

“How is your performer career going on? You told me that’s your dream, right?”

_Phew, he didn’t notice. Yay!_ She put on a starry smile. “It’s good, Ash.” _Yes, this is great. Keep the conversation going, Serena._ “You know what?” She rummaged through her backpack. “Where is it?” She plucked a few items out. “Where did I keep it?” She dug deeper. “Oh, here it is!” She found what she was looking for. “Ta-dah!” She proudly held a Princess Key in her hand. “I won this last month in this year’s showcase circuit,” she grinned.

“That’s awesome!”

“Thanks, Ash.” Serena flushed.

“I’m sure you’ll win the rest of the Princess Keys too.”

Serena giggled. “It’s not so easy, Ash. I’ve been trying for the last three years, and this is only my sixth key in total. I’m still a rookie, you see.”

“Yeah, but that does not mean you should think like one.”

“Huh?” Serena cocked her head, dazed at the subtext behind his words. Given the context, they were probably the most inspirational words she has ever heard.

“How many keys do you need?”

“F-four keys for every circuit. That will qualify me for the Master Class.”

“So, you need only three more. I know you’ll win them all this time. Then you’ll also win the Master Class and become, err—” Ash scratched his head, “what is it, again?”

“He-he.” She told him about this over a thousand times, yet here he was, forgetting it every time. “Kalos Queen, Ash. The winner of the Master Class is crowned as the Kalos Queen.”

“Yeah, right. You’ll be the best Kalos Queen like no one ever was.” Ash balled his fists and flashed a confident grin. “I just know it.”

Serena giggled again. Everything seemed so easy for Ash, like he has no trouble overcoming any problem—always charging forward with utmost determination. He was still the same person she knew from childhood, the one who showed her the beauty of having a dream, the one who held her hand and helped her overcome her fears, the one whom she genuinely admired with all her heart—he hasn’t changed one bit, nope, not at all.

“Thanks, Ash. I’ll be sure to try my best.” She tucked a falling hair strand behind her ear. “What about you? Still perusing to become a Pokémon Master, I’m guessing?”

Ash fell silent. Solemnly staring at the ground, he picked a broken twig lying beside him. “Yes,” he muttered, his voice lacking the usual conviction Serena was familiar with. “That’s my dream, after all.” He roughened the twig with his bare nails, clipping the leaf scars on it, shaping it into a straight, bark-less stalk. “But I currently have something more important on my mind.”

“Say what?” Serena’s eyes bulged. Something more important than becoming a Pokémon Master? For Ash? That wasn’t possible, was it? Ever since she knew him, his dream had been to become the best Pokémon Master. At first Serena thought it be cute, later, as she grew up, she found it childish. The title was nothing but a drive, a drive to push trainers beyond their limits, guiding them towards an endless destination of fortitude. However, with time, she somehow believed that if anyone could achieve it, it was Ash, after all, he spoke and worked towards it as much as he breathed air, like he was born only to achieve that nonexistent title—but that was three years ago. “Don’t tell me you gave up on your dream.”

“No. I’d never do that,” Ash shook his head, snapping the twig into smaller pieces. “It’s just…” he paused.

“What is it? You can tell me,” Serena said in a soft voice, a couple of decibels away from whisper. She could tell something bothered him; and Ash, unlike his usual self, is bottling it up.

“Some other time… I promise,” he said, and smiled weakly. Weakly? No, it was much more than weakly. If the entire misery of the world could be compressed into one single expression, it would be that very smile. A rare smile with a quality of eternal deception, eclipsing a multitude of burdens, cautious from any admission. It promised assurance, but carried ambivalence. The last smile of a lost man, squashed between two sides of a vile coin—fear and failure.

“Fine, Ash. I’ll wait,” Serena said. She wanted to hold his collar and shake him until he vomited out the truth, but given the way he spoke, he seemed to want to avoid the topic as much as possible, so she decided, against her better judgement, to wait for him to tell on his own. “But not forever.”

“Of course.” He broke the last piece of the twig. He dusted his hands and fostered a grin. “Anyway, you tell me, when’s your next performance?”

“Oh, that? The dates will be announced in a few days.”

“I’ll be sure to cheer you on with all I got.”

“Thanks, Ash. That means a lot.” Serena clasped her hands close to her heart.

“No problem, what are friends there for?”

A pang jolted through Serena’s chest at that word _._ She wasn’t impractical; they were meeting for the first time as grownups and expecting something more than that from someone like Ash was nothing short of sheer stupidity. Additionally, there wasn’t much she had done to improve on that status either, rather she couldn’t, given that this was their first meeting in years. Even then, hearing him say it outright made her feel like a lonely pebble in the bottom of a still ocean. She was well aware that there was no better word to describe their relationship, and in a way, she should be glad that he still considered her that, but yet the word— _friend_ from Ash’s mouth rained on her like a pounding gavel, heaving her a dozen levels below the rank that he designated her with.

_“Friends?”_ she mouthed. _It won’t stay that way forever._

“Hey, I’ve been meaning to ask you, what’s up with your Eevee?”

Serena flipped her thoughts and glanced at her Evolution Pokémon, blissfully sleeping in her lap. She smiled sadly, recollecting the bitter memory of their first encounter. “She is my newest Pokémon, Ash. She joined my team very recently.” She gently caressed Eevee’s neck fur. Eevee purred in response.

“Okay, but why is she avoiding the others? She seemed to avoid even your Pokémon. Is she shy or something?” Just then, Ash’s Pikachu approached him and leaped into his lap. “You want something, buddy?” He stroked behind the mouse’s ear, earning a delightful coo.

“Pi,” Pikachu said. He nestled himself in Ash’s lap. “Pika pika, pikachu.”

“That’s what even I’m asking her about.”

“He wants to know about Eevee too?”

“Yeah.”

Serena nodded, unsurprised. “You see, I found Eevee one day near my house. She was in a very bad shape then, with several cuts and bruises on her body. I couldn’t just leave her there, so I brought her in and nursed her to health. After she recovered, she decided to stay with me and join my team. Other than that, I don’t know anything else.”

“That still didn’t answer my question. Why does she keep herself away from everyone?”

“Oh that, to be honest, even I don’t have clue. After I tended to her injuries and she was able to move, I tried to get her to talk to my Pokémon, but she just wouldn’t open up. She either stayed with me or my mom, nobody else.”

“That’s odd,” Ash frowned. “Pokémon act like that only if they had a traumatic experience in their past. Since you said you found her injured, maybe something happened to her before that.”

“Maybe,” Serena stared at her normal type, snoring in silence. “I wish I knew what it is. I don’t want her to stay like this forever.”

“Don’t worry. I’m sure you’ll get through her someday. Give her time.”

“I will.”

“Guys, have you seen where Bonnie went?” Clemont said, walking towards them, holding a spatula dripping aromatic stew. “She is nowhere around.”

“I’ll go look for her, she should be nearby,” Ash got up. “Come on, buddy.”

“Thanks Ash,” Clemont said and went back to resume with his cooking.

* * *


	12. The Savior of the Blonde

“I’m not losing to you today, Chespin,” Bonnie yelled, chasing her brother’s grass type through the dirt path, her feet chomping the frayed bark and dead leaves as she swished past the long band of sky-brushing redwood trees.

Chespin, despite his obese frame and lazy personality, managed to outrun her every time they played this game. But today would be different. Today would be the day Bonnie finally got her record straight and beat him at his own game and shut him up once and for all. She’s had enough of the glutton’s taunting remarks each time she lost; she couldn’t give him that satisfaction to belittle her pride anymore. She was winning this time.

“Ches, chespin chespin, ches,” the Spiny Nut Pokémon, who was several feet away from his pursuer, paused and slapped his butt, provoking the blonde.

Bonnie’s insides enraged. She clenched her jaw and quickened her momentum, her sling bag with Dedenne in, danced in waves, ready to get flung by one wrong shake.

Chespin, startled by Bonnie’s sudden jump in speed, panicked and galloped forward, plowing his sickle-like toes through the earth.

Bonnie puffed her lungs and increased her stride, her breath as laborious as a mountain climber at the summit. “Y-Youuu… aaarreee… noottt… winning,” she grunted between gasps.

She closed in on him, wind whooshing past her, her hands barely under three feet from grazing one of those green spikes of Chespin. _Come on._

Her adrenalin surged, giving her that last boost of speed that she desired, diminishing the gap between the two. She clawed her hand. She missed, an inch away from contact. _Almost there._ She clawed again, “got—arghhh!” she tripped over a vine, and fell—face down.

“Chespin!” the grass type, forgetting their game, rushed to Bonnie’s help.

“Gotcha!” Bonnie touched Chespin.

“Chespin! Pin ches, chespin!” the Spiny Nut Pokémon exclaimed, agitated.

“He-he-he!” Bonnie got on her knees and dusted the dirt off her clothes. “Don’t worry, Chespin, I’m all right,” she said. “But for the record, I got you.”

“Che pin che,” Chespin pouted and snapped his head away.

“I got you,” she stressed on her words. She examined herself for any potential injuries. Her elbows had a few minor scratches, that’s all, nothing she hasn’t gotten before. She spat on those scratches and rubbed saliva them. “There, good as new.”

“Che pin pin pin,” Chespin said, still annoyed

“Hey, where Dedenne?” Bonnie asked, noticing the lightness in her bag.

“Ne-ne-ne,” Dedenne ran towards Bonnie. He was flown in tangent when Bonnie slipped her step.

“There you are,” Bonnie picked the Antenna Pokémon and placed him back in his spot. “Here you go. All good, Dedenne?”

“Ne-ne.” He didn’t look the least bit concerned about Bonnie’s fall. Why would he? He has seen Bonnie take much greater hits during their sneaky adventures around Lumiose. She was a tough girl, too tough for her age one might argue.

Bonnie rose her feet and inspected her whereabouts. An orchestra of tall trees soaring out of the earth and ubiquitously sprinkled shrubs and bushes surrounded her. The nascent rays of the sun pierced through the tiny gaps between the leaves creating flickering shadows on the ground. Omnipresent vines coiled the trunks of the giants leaving no spot unvegetated. An earthy smell of decomposing leaves and rotten wood made way into her nostrils—all harmonized into an exquisite verdure.

“This is scary, let’s get out of here, quick,” she said, spooked by the uncanny stillness of milieu. There were only two shades of colors around—green and brown and that made her uncomfortable.

“Che-pin,” the grass type nodded.

“Ne-ne.”

Bonnie pivoted her head with a finger between her teeth, searching for the route they followed, but the dead leaves on the ground made it impossible to backtrack her steps. All paths looked the same—none had any signs of variation.

“That way,” she pointed a direction she assumed to be her way out. She marched forward vigilantly, holding her sling bag with Dedenne close to her.

_Pow!_ A violent attack landed at her feet, heaving her.

Bonnie landed on her butt, her second fall in two minutes.

“Who is that?” she yelled into the formed dust cloud before her.

“Chespin ches,” the Spiny Nut Pokémon growled in anger. Even Dedenne leaped out of his cozy pouch, gnarling at the assailant. Both stood as Bonnie’s vanguards.

A dark bipedal figure walked through the dust. Due to its murkiness, Bonnie was unable to discern the its outline, but the figure was large, almost of her size and had red glowing eyes, as if all the blood in its body rushed there.

As the dust slowly settled, the figure’s appearance became known.

“Grrrraahhh!”

“That’s Shiftry,” Bonnie paled having read of the Pokémon before. They usually attack any strangers who trespass into the domain they claimed to be theirs. They were infamous for being wicked and merciless. “Why did you attack us? We were leaving anyway.”

Unwilling to listen to Bonnie, Shiftry charged a green mass of orb in his leaved palms. He was perturbed and apt on obliterating anyone who defied his rules.

“Chespin, get ready,” Bonnie sprang to her feet. She wasn’t going down without a fight and Chespin was trained by her brother, who was next in line to take over the Lumiose Gym; though Chespin was his least battle experienced Pokémon, he still had a solid fight in him. She could take this Shiftry down with his help if she played her cards right.

“Che Chespin!” the Spiny Nut Pokémon took his battle stance.

Shiftry rotated on his foot, and with added momentum, he slung an Energy Ball at Bonnie.

“Pin Missile!”

Chespin leaped into the air and launched multiple greenish missiles from the spikes on his head. The bug energized projectiles successfully crashed into the incoming orb and frittered it.

“Now use, Tackle!” Chespin charged forward, flexing his quills. He rammed his woody head into Shiftry, hurling him about ten feet away.

“Awesome, Chespin!” Bonnie cheered. This was her first battle ever so landing an accurate hit exhilarated her.

Chespin turned back with an elated grin. “Chespin ches!”

“Watch out!” Bonnie shrieked as Shiftry rocketed towards Chespin.

Distracted by Bonnie’s applause, Chespin let his guard down and by the time he regained his focus, it was too late.

Shiftry lunged at him with a strong X-Scissor. He crossed his scythe-like leaves and lashed at his foe.

“Chespiiiiiiin!” the Spiny Nut Pokémon propelled back at the direct hit.

“Chespin! You all right?”

“Che-che-cheeesss,” Chespin groaned, trembling, and pushing himself on his feet. Bug-type attacks were super effective on him, and to make matters worse, he was a first-sage ‘mon going up against a third-stage. The difference in their stats was astronomical.

Grinding his evil teeth, Shiftry launched an Energy Ball at Chespin.

“Noooo!” Bonnie paled and tossed her head aside, unable to watch the agonizing outcome.

“Chespiiiiiinn!” the grass type crashed into a tree with force so high that it created a hollow dent in its trunk. He slipped to the ground like a raindrop on a window glass. If only his ability, bulletproof was unlocked, Bonnie wished.

Chespin tried to get back on his feet again, his toes wobbling and body shivering—scrapes and gashes all over, but before he could—Bonnie rushed to him and put an end to his labored efforts.

“No, Chespin, don’t. Please don’t,” Bonnie said, tears welling in her eyes. She embraced him, shielding him with her own body. What was she even thinking? trying to take on a wild Pokémon all by herself. That was stupid and foolish, and anybody could have told her that. She should have fled the moment she saw Shiftry, but her stubbornness stood between, and now Chespin was paying the price. “I’m… I’m… sorry, Chespin, this is all because of me.”

“Ne-ne-ne-ne-ne.” Bonnie heard her Dedenne’s cry, she snapped her gaze at the Antenna Pokémon.

“No, Dedenne!”

Dedenne dashed towards the Wicked Pokémon, rubbing his cheek pouches, charging it with static. Te grass-dark type swatted him with an effortless slap, sending him flying towards Bonnie. He landed right next to her.

“Dedenne! Dedenne! talk to me,” Bonnie rubbed the electric-fairy-type’s tummy, taking him in her arms. “Dedenneeee!” she shook him. “Somebody Heeeellllpppp!”

“Ne… ne,” the Antenna Pokémon’s weak voice muttered.

“Ah, thank, Arceus, you are fine.” Bonnie hugged him with her clammy hands.

Bonnie bared her teeth, her fists clenched and eyes cold. How could she let this happen under her watch? She swore to protect Dedenne with her life when Clemont entrusted him with her. And Chespin? He didn’t seem he could move a muscle. Both Pokémon suffered, all because of her foolishness and headstrong attitude. Shiftry wanted her, and these Pokémon suffered trying to defend her. Never was she put in a position like this, but if that’s what it takes, then so be it. She made her choice.

She wiped her tears and forced a gentle smile, a smile confined only to a mother, willing to go to the ends of the earth to protect her brood. “Dedenne, Chespin, I’ll fix everything, I promise,” she said in a soft comforting voice.

She brought the Pokémon together and hugged them like it was her last time. She placed them against the tree. She cleared her clogged nose and looked back at the evilly grinning Shiftry.

She stood, conviction evident behind her tightened lips, and faced the grass-dark-type—her shoulders back, chest out, and chin high. “You want me, right?” She extended her arms wide. “Come and get me if you dare,” she announced, her tone bold and fearless.

Shiftry roared, furious at the challenge thrown at him. With a minacious grunt he gathered all the energy in him, forming another Energy Ball in his hands, this time—much bigger and much brighter.

Bonnie shut her eyes, prepared to take the hit. She was convinced this was the only way Shiftry would be satisfied. It was she who trespassed and it was she who deserved the punishment, not the poor Pokémon. She cursed herself for going against Clemont’s explicit instructions of not wandering off, if only he were here to protect her. Her heart pounded against her chest as all her unfulfilled dreams flashed before her. Finding a bride for her brother, starting her own journey with Dedenne, meeting lots and lots of Pokémon, continuing her journey with Ash, and so on. Now, she could feel all those dreams crumble before her like rocks through a grinding machine. She didn’t even get a chance to say goodbye to her family and friends. Her dad would be super upset when he finds out what happened with her, maybe even thunder down Clemont for his negligence. Well, there is nothing much she could do now, her death was pretty much assured. Shiftry wouldn’t back down and there was no one to protect her. She squeezed her shut eyes harder and braced for impact.

Her heart beating was the only sound she heard. She waited and waited, but the attack never came, instead, she heard a hurtful grunt from the Wicked Pokémon.

Perplexed, Bonnie slowly popped an eye open. A bruised and battered bipedal orange Pokémon she never saw before panted exhaustedly with his flaming tail facing her. He was of Pikachu’s size and looking at the fallen Shiftry, Bonnie figured out the rest—this Pokémon saved her.

A wide grin formed on Bonnie’s lips. She was about to go and thank the Pokémon, but—

“Shiftryyyyyy!” the Wicked Pokémon rose to his feet and thumped his chest with an ear-piercing battle cry. He shook his head, leaped in air, and charged forward in a rolling motion—he was using Rollout.

“Chimchar!” the bipedal Pokémon vaulted over the incoming attack and dodged it.

“So, that’s a Chimchar.”

Shiftry drifted his motion and made a sharp U-turn. With an increased pace, he rocketed towards the descending Chimchar—he got a clean strike on his head.

“Chimchaaarrr!” the fire-type cried as he too was hurled like Chespin and Dedenne. He rammed into the ground, his body dragging through the dirt. He crashed into a rock and fell unconscious.

Shiftry, unable to stop his rage, mercilessly assaulted the fainted Chimchar with an onslaught of repeated Rollouts. Each following strike was harder and more ruthless than its previous one, a ravaging beast who attacked his prey even after its demise just to satisfy his rage.

Bonnie, unable to witness the brutality, covered her face with her arms. The tears she had previously wiped away, spewed again. This was the third Pokémon suffering because of her. Chimchar didn’t even make a single cry while being battered.

The atmosphere turned silent.

Bonnie looked back to check if Shiftry left, but what she saw horrified her beyond words. Shiftry had a giant rock in his hand and was striding towards Chimchar, ready to smash it, and clobber him to death.

Bonnie eyes widened. “Noooooooooo!” she cried her loudest cry.

“Electro Ball!”

A yellow static orb crashed into the rock in Shiftry’s hand, decimating it into dust.

“Ash! And Pikachu!” Bonnie had a relieved smile on her face.

Pikachu took his battle stance on all fours and snarled: “Pika! Pika pika pika pi Pikachu!”

“Shiftry!” Shiftry grunted and sized his new opponent. Bonnie didn’t know what Pikachu said, but the next moment, Shiftry bailed on his bloodlust and retreated into the forest.

“Ash!” Bonnie ran towards the raven-haired trainer and hugged him. “A-Ash,” she said, and pointed towards the unconscious Pokémon. “Chim-chimchar, Chimchar—” she punctuated her sentences in post-tear hiccups.

Ash, understanding Bonnie, rushed to Chimchar. Bonnie picked up the injured Dedenne and Chespin. She placed the Antenna Pokémon in her bag and cradled the Spiny Nut Pokémon in her arms, and joined Ash.

“He’s still Alive!” Ash said. He carefully scooped the fire-type in his arms. “He needs medical attention immediately.”

“Cle-Clemont has a first aid kit,” Bonnie, whose tears have simmered down a notch, said.

“Let’s go the, quick!”

* * *

“Clemont!” Ash sprinted towards the blond inventor who was finishing his preparations for the day’s lunch. “Help!”

Clemont dropped the spatula in his hand and hurried to the scar-faced trainer. Even Serena got up and ran towards him. “What happened? Is Bonnie okay?”

“I’m fine, brother, but Chimchar is not.”

“Chimchar?” Clemont noticed the Pokémon in Ash’s arms. He gasped.

“How did this happen?” Serena’s hand flew to her chest.

“All that later, do you have anything which can help him? His condition is very critical,” Ash said anxiously. A warm breath from Chimchar grazed his arm. It was weaker than before. Even his fire tail was ebbing it flame. Ash’s stomach churned. If only he was a minute early, he could have prevented this mishap.

“Fear not Ash,” Clemont smirked, adjusting his glasses. “The future is now, thanks to—ouch!” he caught his leg.

“We don’t have time for that!” Bonnie who just kicked Clemont in his shin yelled. “You have something or not?”

“Y-yeah, I have something.” Clemont ran to his bag and took out a metal box which could fit in the palm of a child. He placed it on the portable table he set up and pressed the red button on its side.

The box opened itself, enlarging into a futuristic-like medical device with transparent glass walls, inside of which were multiple wires and attachments.

Clemont opened its lid. “Place him inside.”

Ash gingerly did so.

Clemont attached a few wired suction cups to Chimchar’s body and closed the lid back. He pulled out a multi-buttoned remote from his pocket and pressed the buttons, getting the device running.

A streak of red light moved up and down Chimchar, scanning him thoroughly.

“Is this device safe, Clemont?” Serena asked. Ash had the same doubt, but given the situation, something was better than nothing, so he abstained from voicing his concern.

“Worry not,” Clemont said, pressing random buttons on the remote. The scanning was complete and the device beeped. “Though I made this device, it is a Pokémon League sanctioned model. It’ll just scan the condition of Chimchar.”

“You mean, you can’t heal him?” Ash asked exasperatedly.

“I never said that,” Clemont said. He looked at the reading on the small screen on the remote. “Hmm, just as I thought.”

“Thought what?” Bonnie asked.

“Well, Chimchar has eight fractures, three broken ribs, six ligament tears, and multiple lacerations. Fortunately, there is very little internal bleeding and his organs are still intact.”

“He’ll live, right?” Ash asked in a shaking voice. Clemont’s list of injuries frightened him. His mind went back to the time Charizard suffered from cold, back in Orange Island, though Chimchar’s condition was several times severe, both Pokémon fought deaths equally.

“Yes, Ash, he will live,” Clemont smiled. “Most of his fractures can be mended in a few hours with the serum injected by this machine, but his left arm is badly broken. I can plaster it, but it’ll take at least a few days before he can move it freely.”

“Phew, thank Arceus,” Ash sighed in relief, a huge burden lifting off his chest. Seeing Chimchar in that battered state pinched his heart like he was watching his very own go through that torture, not that he would remain unfazed by a wild Pokémon in such condition, he very much would be. It was like how a person witnessing an accident sincerely empathizes with the victim, but gets hysterical when the same occurs to someone they’re close to, and Chimchar gave Ash an impression that he was his very own, and watching him in that state was ten times tougher than watching a wild Pokémon.

He peered closer at the fire type, twitching his body, and breathing a lot smoother than before. Even the flame on his tail was burning brighter, not as bright it should’ve been, but it was bright nevertheless—a lot better than his previous immobile state.

“Here, Bonnie, use this potion on Chespin and Dedenne. They are injured too, aren’t they?” Clemont handed a violet bottle to Bonnie.

Bonnie nodded and got to work.

_Ding! “Restoration complete!”_ the device sounded.

“Now a potion on Chimchar too, and he’ll feel much better,” Clemont said. He opened the device’s lid and unplugged the suction cups. He lifted Chimchar and placed him on the table and sprayed the potion on him.

As the potion drizzled, Chimchar slowly opened his eyes.

“Chimchar!” Ash said happily. “I so glad that you’re okay.”

**“W-w-where I a-am?”**

“Don’t worry, you’re safe,” Ash said.

“Now, Chimchar, this might hurt a little, but I want you to stay strong,” Clemont said. He unwrapped the bandage in his hand and lifted the Pokémon’s arm lightly.

**“Arghhhhh!”**

The fire type’s agonic cry startled Clemont. The bandage slipped from his hand.

**“Go away!”** he moved erratically; with every movement he made, he cried again. His arm was gravely injured.

“C-calm down, Chimchar. I’m only trying to help.” Clemont tried to touch him again, but Chimchar swatted him with his good hand. He cried again. “Don’t be stubborn, if I don’t—”

Ash placed a palm on Clemont’s shoulder, asking him to stop. He moved next to the Chimp Pokémon and gazed into his watery eyes. He ran a delicate finger on his head.

Chimchar stopped struggling and stared into Ash.

“Listen to me, Chimchar, your arm is broken very badly. If we don’t take care of it soon, you’ll never be able to move it again and it may hurt forever. Try to bear the pain, it’ll be over soon.”

Chimchar bewilderedly blinked.

“I won’t let anything happen to you,” Ash lovingly caressed his fur. “Can you trust me with that?”

**“Y-yes.”**

Ash smiled. “Clemont, can you tell me how do I do it?”

“S-sure.”

* * *

Serena filled three scoops of Clemont’s scrumptious vegetable stew in a porcelain bowl. She placed it on a serving try along with a spoon and three baguettes of Kalosian Bread. A delicate smile formed on her lips as she whiffed the aromatic vapors of the stew. _Ash will definitely like it._

She made her way to the tree trunk from before where Ash sat cross-legged-ly with a sleeping Chimchar in his lap. She placed the food before him.

She tucked the hem of her skirt, snugging it between her thighs and sat beside him.

Ash was attentively caressing Chimchar’s head as the little ‘mon gave slow breaths of relief. He was so involved in it that he hadn’t even noticed Serena’s presence.

Serena slid the tray towards Ash. “Eat up. You’re the only one left.”

“Uh? Oh!” Ash noticed her, but he went back into his downcast expression, pulling the food closer. “Thanks.”

Ash broke the bread into pieces and began eating, rather uncomfortably. Chimchar’s presence in his lap restricted his movement. He couldn’t lift the tray and place it on Chimchar, so he was bending his neck excessively so as to not drop anything on the poor fire-type.

“Why don’t you give him to me?” Serena said. “You can take him back once you’re done.”

Ash smiled thankfully. He ladled the sleeping Pokémon, adroitly avoiding any contact with his bandaged arm. He inclined his body towards Serena and with the same caution, placed it in her lap. His sweaty inky brushed against Serena lips. She flushed—his scent had that distinct Ash-like essence, she had forgotten with time. It was nostalgic, like revisiting your old house you grew up in. A quenched smile spread on her lips.

“Be sure not to move his arm, all right?”

“Yes.”

“Thanks,” Ash said. He brought the tray in his lap and stuffed his mouth with the bread, not even bothering to flavor it with stew. He was either starving or was the same glutton with no appreciation for fine flavors. Serena peered at him again, yup—he was both.

Sighing within herself, Serena turned her attention to Chimchar. His body was warm and his tail-fire was put off. Clemont explained to her that its intensity was an indicator of Chimchar’s health. However, Chimchar’s evolution line was also capable of putting off their flames while sleeping to avoid any forest fires. It was fascinating how they had such control over it, unlike the Charmander evolution line from Kanto who’d die if their flame was off.

Serena gently stroked Chimchar’s cheek, keeping her distance from the gashes on his body, like Ash had done. She thought she’d get a coo or a purr, but instead, Chimchar nestled deeper into her arms and sleepily rivered his unbandaged arm in the valley of her breasts. Her cheeks flamed. It reminded her of that one viral video of a Pichu who lived between her trainer’s breasts.

She held her breath and gingerly moved his arm away, hoping that Ash might have missed her embarrassing moment. She sheepishly peeped. Ash was gulping down his stew remnants, with the bowl covering his entire face. She released her breath in relief.

“W-want more, Ash?” she asked, shrouding her mortification with her voice.

“Uh-huh,”— _glurp, glurp, glurp_ —“haaaaa! That hit the spot.” Ash put down the bowl. “I’m done.”

“He-he, you haven’t changed, have you?” Serena said, giggling.

“Huh?” Ash tiled his head; which Serena thought was the cutest expression he could make. She loved his radiant smiled and determined look too, but none could compete against his clueless tilt—it had its own charm.

“You still eat like a Snorlax.”

“I sleep like one too,” Ash chuckled.

“He-he, here you want him back?” At Ash’s nod, Serena carefully lifted Chimchar and placed it in Ash’s lap.

“Thanks again, Serena.”

“It’s—”

“Guys,” Clemont interrupted them. “Is it a good time to talk?”

“Yeah, sure, Clemont. What is it?” Ash said.

“Firstly, Ash, thank you for saving Bonnie. She told me everything that has happened.”

“It’s all right, Clemont. Anyone would have done the same.”

Serena nudged Ash in the arm. “You’re getting many thankyous lately.”

“Ha-ha, coincidence, I guess?” an embarrassed laugh escaped from Ash as he rubbed his finger under his nose. If Serena’s habit was to hide behind her hair when embarrassed, Ash’s habit was that gesture. “Where is Bonnie anyway?”

“Asleep, Ash. She cried a lot and the incident was traumatic for her. She said she thought she would die.”

“Tsk-tsk-tsk,” Serena clicked her tongue. “That must’ve been so tough on the poor girl.”

“Well, she was feeling better before she went to bed. So, anyway, there is something else I want to talk about.” Clemont uncomfortably tensed his shoulder. “I analyzed the data I collected on Chimchar. Since he is a Sinnoh starter and not commonly found in Kalos, I felt something was grey. Even his injuries aren’t what you receive after a single battle. His were way severe than that.”

“You found something then?”

“Yes, and my doubts were right. Chimchar has already had multiple hairline fractures and other injuries. The fight against Shiftry only made them worse. I also found something interesting.” Clemont made a few clicks on the tablet in his hand and showed it to Ash and Serena. It was a blue screen with various small black windows open, all running some cryptic code in green. A picture of Chimchar popped up with bold white text ‘Registered’ beside. “Chimchar is not a wild Pokémon, but has a trainer.”

Serena snapped her gaze at Ash, guessing he’d erupt, and erupt he did.

Veins corded Ash’s neck like a time-lapse of growing fibrous roots. He had his eyes shut and he breathed flaringly. His face had a complex expression, a blend of anger mixed with sadness.

“Ash.” Serena reflexively placed her hand on his cold clenched fist, not even realizing that it was the same gesture she hesitated to perform not too long ago.

“Who’s the trainer?” Ash said through bared teeth, his voice unwavering. He tried suppressing all his rage, but it was so apparent that he miserably failed.

“P-P-P-Pa-Pa-Paul S-Sh-Sh-Shi-Shinji,” Clemont shivered, reading from his tablet.

“What!” Serena jerked forward with wide eyes.

“You know him?” Ash asked, surprised more than enraged. Serena was grateful for that in a way. Ash’s ferocious look was too frightening to look at, an expression she never thought she’d see on Ash. Maybe he did change a bit.

“Y-yes. He was last year’s Kalos League winner. He was the one who beat Calem,” Serena said. “He was a little harsh with his Pokémon in his battles, but I never thought he could be so cruel.”

“Where can I find him?” Ash asked, his voice still unwavering.

“Why do you want to know?” Serena asked. A fear that Ash might do something terrible ran through her. “And tell me the truth.”

“Ask him why he did this. I want him to apologize to Chimchar, and then I’ll hand him over to the authorities for Pokémon torture.”

Serena calmed her nerves, relieved. “So, you’re not getting into a fistfight with him, right?”

“If needed.”

“Ash!” Serena swatted Ash arm. “Stop scaring me.”

“You wanted the truth,” Ash said. “Look Serena, I’m as pacifist as the next person, but if there is something evil going on before my eyes and the only way for me to stop it is to get into a fight, then I not backing. It is an ideology I believe in, and an ideology that me and my Pokémon share together. So, I ask again: where—can—I—find—him?”

“I absolutely agree with you, but think about this: if Paul could do this to a Pokémon, who knows what else is he capable of? Not to mention, he’s a Gold Class trainer and the winner of several leagues up to my knowledge. His Pokémon are not only strong but vicious.”

“You don’t need to worry about that,” Ash said, smirking ever so slightly that is was invisible. “I can handle him and his Pokémon.”

“Like how you handled yesterday’s Garchomp situation?” Serena retorted. “Look, Ash, what you’re doing might be brave and noble for most of the world, and I truly admire that about you, but what if something happens to you, you dimwit,” she annoyedly pushed Ash’s head.

“Ha-ha-ha, you worry too much, don’t you?”

“Yeah, of course. You jumped like an idiot to save Froakie yesterday, if not for your Pidgeot coming in time, you’ve died you idiot. Died!”

“A-Ash, I think what Serena is saying is right. I don’t know you as much as she does, but my first impression of you is: reckless, and I don’t think that’s a good first impression to make,” Clemont said.

“You too, Clemont?” Ash asked. Clemont nodded. “Phew, fine, sit with us, I’ll explain what happened yesterday and why there was no way I could have died.”

As Ash finished narrating his conversation with his Pokémon in the sky yesterday, Serena could not decide if she had to slap him again or kick him in the nuts this time. He was talking as if there was no chance of error. She furiously squinted at him. “You seem so experienced in diving from the sky, huh? Next time, I’ll be the one throwing you off, just wait and watch.”

Ash sighed uncomfortably. “Clemont, you’re good at math, right?

“Yeah, most _nineteen-year-olds’_ think math isn’t related to science, but they couldn’t be more wrong. Without math, science would never progress to the stage it is now in. So, yes, I’m good at it.”

“Err, yeah, right. My Pidgeot’s top speed is Mach 5. Can you calculate and explain Serena if it possible for Pidgeot to miss me?”

“Wait, what? Did you say Mach 5 or I misheard you?”

“That’s exactly what I said,” Ash smirked.

Clemont gulped.

“What does that mean, Clemont?”

“Ash is right Serena. Even if Ash was only a thousand feet off the ground and Pidgeot was twice that distance from him, there is no way she couldn’t have reached him on time. It’s mathematically impossible.”

“Told ya,” Ash grinned.

“Bu-but… I-if…” Serena stuttered, finding it difficult to believe, and more importantly difficult to find words to reply. Despite Clemont’s repeated failure at inventions, she had never once during their time at the academy known him to fail with his calculations, and the way he put it sounded like he absolutely confident about this theory. She took a deep breath. “Fine, but what if Pidgeot missed you, or you slipped of her back, or she didn’t see you? What then?”

“That’s even impossible-er. Pidgeot is my second catch and I’ve had her for eight years and not once in that time she missed her target.”

“But—”

“Serena, that’s enough,” Ash said, stone-faced. “Where can I find him?”

Serena sighed defeatedly. There was no way of diverting Ash anymore. “He is supposed to battle in Kalos Premier Ligue 1. Every league winner of Kalos is given an entry pass into the Premier League. If you’re lucky, you can find him during our travel, though I hope you don’t.”

“Then find him I will.”

* * *

**“Fine, I put my shades on the line.”**

**“With my ketchup on the line, I can do anything.”**

**“Deal then, give me the number.”**

**“Lemme see,”** Pikachu watched the starlit sky with searching eyes. He moved his paw, counting each twinkle. **“One, two, three, four, five, six… hmm, it’s fourteen million two hundred and twelve thousand seven hundred and thirty-four.”**

**“How do I know that’s right?”** Wartortle cocked his head.

**“Count it yourself if you don’t believe me.”** Pikachu shrugged.

“Ha-ha-ha, he got you there, Wartortle,” a chuckling Ash said.

“He did,” Froakie said, chuckling along with Ash.

**“Now, my loot please,”** Pikachu extended his arm towards a scorning Wartortle.

**“Fuck you, you didn’t win shit,”** Wartortle said.

“Wartortle! Language.”

**“Sorry, boss,”** Wartortle blushed, sticking his tongue out. **“But Yellow here is a cheat.”**

**“You should’ve thought about it before you wagered your glasses,”** Pidgeot said from behind Ash, providing her body as a cushion to his head. **“Now pay up.”**

**“Grr,”** Wartortle grunted. He reluctantly pulled out his dark glasses from inside his carapace and handed them to Pikachu. **“Shove it up your ass.”**

Pikachu scoffed. He put on the glasses and posed. **“How’s that for style.”**

**“Like makeup on a Gengar,”** Wartortle said.

Froakie chuckled. He jumped down from Ash’s chest. **“You do this often?”**

“Yeah, watching the sky at night is our favorite hobby,” Ash said, his hands intertwined behind his head. There was something mysterious about the night, some distinct tenderness calming your brain from its endless clamor. As the day took its break and receded, it gave you a reward—its antithesis, a special kind of blackness, the kind that hugged you with a blanket of comfort. Maybe it was the lack of day’s intricate scrutiny, or the silence of world’s slumber, or even the vow of secrecy in that chill darkness—whatever it was, it allowed you to let yourself out, be free, be whatever you wanted to be. And sometimes a minute’s freedom is all you need and the night gave you exactly that. “Why? don’t you like it?”

**“No, it’s fun. None of my previous trainers spent time with me like this.”**

**“O, O, O, you’ll be surprised to know how much of time Ash spends with us,”** Wartortle said. **“Back in Assumption Island, the nights were especially reserved for spending time together.”**

**“Ash, heads up,”** Pidgeot said.

Ash rotated his head and glanced behind. The wavering flame of camp fire lit the closed mouths of the three erected tents. Eyes glimmered from drunkenly leaning trees as Pokémon raced up its branches, scrabbling their claws against its bark. Ash dropped his gaze below at the sound of crunching dew ridden grass, through which approached none but Chimchar.

A thin smile edged Ash’s lips. “I see you can walk now.”

Chimchar swiveled his baffled head around.

“I’m talking to you, Chimchar,” Ash said. “Come on, join us.”

With a brisk nod, Chimchar hobbled through the arm-length grass and weaved his way towards Ash.

**“H-hello,”** Chimchar shifted his entire body weight to one side.

“Hello, Chimchar,” Ash said. “How’re you doing now?”

**“Good, thanks t-to you,”** the fire type winced.

“You can lay you head on Pidgeot if you want, she won’t mind.”

Chimchar skeptically glanced at the golden bird. At her amenable nod, he gingerly rested against her belly, cautiously securing his plastered arm in place. **“She soft and warm.”**

“She is, isn’t she?” Ash said from beside him.

**“Yes.”** Chimchar joined Ash in his starwatching. His eyes widened. **“You-you understand me?”**

“Yes, Chimchar, I can understand you,” Ash said. “Don’t ask how, I just can.”

Chimchar merely nodded and continued staring at the sky.

The ambience turned silent. An urge to make Chimchar talk about his trainer and his brutality flowed through Ash, but assuming the topic’s sensitivity, Ash resisted from brushing it. Even his ever-talkative duo of Wartortle and Pikachu kept their mouths closed. But the silence didn’t last long.

**“You want’o know how I get-ed my injuries, no?”**

“It’s okay if you don’t want to talk about it. I know your trainer did that to you.”

**“Err, no, he did not.”**

“No?” Ash cocked his head and sat in attention. His Pokémon huddled around in curiosity.

**“Who did that to you then?”** Froakie asked. When Ash told his Pokémon what Clemont said, Froakie went furious. He wanted to trounce Chimchar’s trainer for his mistreatment. He detested cruelty and injustice with all his heart.

**“I-I did.”**

“What?” all voices exclaimed together.

**“How did you hurt yourself so badly?”** Pidgeot asked.

**“I battle every Pokémon I find. No rest.”**

**“Are you kidding?”** Wartortle curled his lips. **“Why would you even do such a thing?”**

**“I-I have to unlock my Blaze ability and get stronger, no?”**

**“So, you’ll hurt yourself like a fool? Where’s your trainer? He should be the one helping you with those things,”** Pikachu said.

Chimchar scratched his head with his free hand. **“He selected for big league, no? he have no time for small thing. He leave me in forest and tell: train.”**

**“So, he abandoned you?”** Pikachu asked.

**“Aban—bandon?”**

**“I mean, did he leave you?”**

**“No, no, no, he not leave me. He tell-ed me, he come back after months and see my strength then.”**

**“And you believed him?”** Froakie asked.

**“Yes, he nice trainer. He don’t break promise,”** Chimchar said.

**“Bro, your condition shows how _nice_ of a trainer he is,”** Wartortle said. **“Take my word and leave that asshole. You can join us if you want.”**

**“No, he very nice. He give me house and food.”**

**“You can get the same and more with us. Wartortle’s right, you have to get rid of your trainer,”** Pikachu said. **“He’s not worth it.”**

**“I-I cannot,”** Chimchar lowered his head. **“I promise him I get strong and wait.”**

**“You can get strong with us, we’re not weakling, you see?”** Pikachu said.

**“No, I promise.”**

**“Ash, why don’t you say something?”** Pikachu asked.

“What do you want me to say?” Ash said softly.

**“Huh?”** Pikachu’s wore a stunned expression. **“Is it you speaking?”**

“Yes, buddy, it is me, but what do you expect me to say to Chimchar? It’s not like his trainer did something terrible. He left him in the wild for some time, didn’t I do the same with Pidgeot?”

**“That’s different, Ash. You left me to protect a flock, not to beat myself up and grow strong.”**

“Yes, the reason is different, but the action is the same, right?” Ash said. “All Paul did was telling Chimchar to grow strong on his own and promised to return later. How is it any different from what I did to Pidgeot, Charizard, Primeape, or for that matter, you Wartortle?”

**“Boss, you left us under someone’s care, not in the wild. And you came back for us.”**

“Paul could have released Chimchar if he wanted, but he didn’t. He still has him registered to his name, so I assume he intends to come back.”

“What if he lied and doesn’t come back?”

**“No, he come. My master leave many Pokémon to train on own,”** Chimchar said. **“He tell, training on own is best to get strong.”**

“There, got an answer to that?” Ash said. “I know, guys, it’s infuriating to see Chimchar in this state and I know that better than anybody here. The trainer reminds me so much of Damien, but Damien released Charmander and lied to him. We have no proof Paul did the same. As a trainer, he didn’t commit any crime. If I force Chimchar to come with us, then I’ll be committing one.”

**“But, Ash…”**

“Sorry, buddy, my hands are tied.” Ash’s heart knew how much of a mistake it was to not take Chimchar with him, how inhumane Paul was for treating his Pokémon like that. He wanted to punch that Paul guy with his bare hands for leaving someone as young and innocent as Chimchar in the wild—he could have died for Arceus’s sake had Ash not found him. He wanted to cradle Chimchar in his arms and get him away from this place, away from this place, away from that cold-hearted trainer of his, but he couldn’t. Was it the trainer rules that stopped him? No, he’d couldn’t care less of those rules, that was only an excuse he gave his Pokémon. The real reason was Chimchar himself. He held so much faith and loyalty towards Paul in his eyes that Ash couldn’t bring himself to destroy that. Had he tried taking Chimchar away, all that would shatter, and there was no way he was doing that, no matter what the circumstances. He turned away, ashamed. “Froakie, I know you hate me now. If you want to leave me like your other trainers, you are free to go. I won’t force you.”

**“I almost want to, but what you said made sense,”** Froakie said. **“Pokémon are born in wild, and if a trainer leaves one of his back there to train, as heartless it may sound, it’s not entirely wrong. You said the right thing. I don’t hate you.”**

“Thanks, Froakie,” Ash said. “Chimchar, tomorrow, I’ll leave you back in the wild along with food and medicines. I’ll come back later to check up on you, if your trainer lied to you and didn’t come back, would you be willing to come with us then?”

**“My trainer come. He promised.”**

* * *


	13. Badges and Flags

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't promise to update on a schedule, life's uncertain you see. The only promise I can keep is that this fic won't be abandoned. I don't want you'll to lose interest because you can't remember what happened in the previous chapters, so I'll give you guys a quick recap of major incidents. Just the dialogues from the necessary parts, like a quick refresher, so that you'll enjoy the fic better.
> 
> You'll find Serena blushing too much, but she hasn't seen Ash for eight years, so I had to compromise her for the character. It won't be for too long though. Just assume it's currently her... honeymoon period (no pun intended).
> 
> This is the chapter where I'll be shedding light on most of Serena's personality. Many people may not like this chapter, because of the way I portrayed her. She is not that sweet innocent girl like in the anime. And her personality has been portrayed via subtexts. If you don't get them and if she puts you off. I'm sorry, but that won't change.
> 
> Most characters I'm writing have flaws, a lot of flaws. I mentioned in my first chapter that characters will be a little OOC because: firstly, they've aged, and secondly, most characters in Pokemon lack strong flaws. Character complexity is what I'm looking for, therefore straying away from cannon is imperative.
> 
> I might lose many readers here, but that's a trade I'm willing to make for the sake of three-dimensional characters.

** PREVIOUSLY IN 'THE LEGEND OF ASH KETCHUM' **

_"So, you'll hurt yourself like a fool? Where's your trainer? He should be the one helping you with those things."_

_"He selected for big league, no? he have no time for small thing. He leave me in forest and tell: train."_

_"Chimchar, tomorrow, I'll leave you back in the wild along with food and medicines. I'll come back later to check up on you, if your trainer lied to you and didn't come back, would you be willing to come with us then?"_

_"My trainer come. He promised."_

* * *

"That'll be twenty dollars for a day," Nurse joy said, reading into the computer screen on her desk.

An alarm dinged.

Automatic doors whooshed open. A Wigglytuff appeared through it, pushing a gurney with a metal IV stand and saline bags attached to it. A bandaged Skitty on it smiled. "Skitty skitty!"

A teenage boy, anxiously tapping his feet on the couch jerked, his arm knocking down a half-filled glass of water on the coffee table; fortunately, it was a paper glass.

He bolted towards the recovered Skitty; his face bright and glittery with relief. Skitty leapt onto its trainer, fondling its face into its trainer's chest.

Serena laid a hand on her heart and smiled. The boy had the same expression as Ash while he cradled Chimchar. It was flawless and heart-warming, endemic only to the faces of reunited long-lost siblings. But no matter how pleasing a sight, it was short-lived. Chimchar stayed back in the forest, courtesy to his wicked trainer. If only he had joined Ash.

"Serena, I've got mine and Bonnie's share here." Clemont placed his smartphone on the polished stone counter. "You want to go ask Ash for his?"

"Umm," Serena arched her shoulder around, a finger between her teeth. Her eyes darted across the roomy Pokémon Centre. A healthy number of trainers relaxed on the couches, leafing through various magazines. A few had their Pokémon out who strolled on the green carpet, while many had packed their bags and were ready to leave. On the other side, in the cafeteria, trainers moved in short queues, collecting trays of unappealing food from the bar. Serena gagged mentally, even from that distance she could sense the food's bland taste and the potent smell of bleach it came with.

Just then, a group of four trainers waltzed in. One of them, an over-udder-ed woman in mid-twenties with her cleavage exposed as much as photosynthesising leaves during mid-day, her multicoloured hair wrapped like a lengthy turban, makeup like generous paint on filthy walls, and a black handbag held like a delicate feather, had her _Delphox_ out. Dancing their hips in synchrony, they sashayed towards the wending machine.

_Bitch!_

Serena flited her eyes to the entrance. An elderly man shut his dry umbrella and shambled in.

"I think I'll get his share too," Serena said. "Ash is still in the washroom."

An alarm buzzed. An electronic voice over the intercom paged: "Mr. Gail Sheldon, please come and collect your Pokémon."

"Which room are we getting?" Bonnie pushed herself on her toes and rested her chin on the counter.

"The single room with four bunk beds," Nurse Joy said. "The room with four different beds will be thirty dollars."

A dapper man with a brown goatee walked towards the side counter with prissy speed, and collected his Pokémon from the supply tray another Wigglytuff held out. He rolled his eyes at Clemont as he passed by him, possibly scoffing at his monochromatic jumpsuit.

Serena wrinkled her nose. One pretentious bastard he was. Let him try and engineer something as complex as the Prism Tower. His balls would shrink into the size of atoms, and he'd be wearing his ass for his hat before he even attempted to begin. And he had the audacity to mock one of her oldest friends? Fucking asswipe.

She flicked a glimpse at Clemont. He had his back faced towards that prick; and luckily, for him, he didn't seem to notice that obnoxious scorn.

"Uhm, Ms. Joy, how much for a double-bedroom and two individual rooms?" the blond scientist asked.

Nurse Joy swiftly typed into her keyboard. "That'll cost you, young man: twenty for a double bedroom and thirty for two individual rooms."

Clemont thought for a while, contemplating over the choices offered. With the number of financial lessons that he took, he was bound to be this thrifty. "What do you say, Serena?"

"Clemont, can we take the room which we take with daddy?" Bonnie asked.

"Bonnie, that's expensive."

"Don't be a miser." Bonnie punched him in the arm. "You make more money that daddy."

Clemont shook his head dejectedly. "Fine, but I'm sure we won't get it."

"Just ask, dummy."

"Umm? Is there something I can help you with?" Joy asked.

"Yes, we were wondering if a trainee gym leader can take the VIP room."

"I'm so sorry, but you can't. The rules are strict on that. You never know when an official or a VIP might visit. And they tend to be quite fussy with their stay."

"What if daddy calls you then?" Bonnie asked.

"Is he a Gym Leader?"

Bonnie nodded.

Nurse Joy underhandedly scanned her surroundings. She leaned in towards the blonde girl and whispered: "If he can transport his License through a transport machine or at least authorize from his smartphone, then I'll let you have it." She winked and placed a finger on her lips.

Bonnie grinned and sprung on her feet. "Clemont! Call daddy, now! I want to sleep on that soft, soft bed tonight." She squirmed sensuously, hugging herself. "My body is so tired with all that walking."

"Pika Pi!" Pikachu whisked onto the counter with Ash's cap in his teeth. He secured the hat on his head, stretched his cheeks wide with his paws, and hopped on his feet alternately. "Pika, pika, pika, pika, pika..."

"I'll get you next time, fuzzball." Ash paced over. He yanked his cap from his Pokémon and fastened it back on his chaotic hair.

The electric type scuttled back to his claimed shoulder.

"Hey, Ash," Serena waved, her heart galloping against her ribs. Three days and she still couldn't hold herself properly before him. A delightful nightmare if she could call it.

"Hey, guys," Ash said. "So, where did you say the gym was again?"

"He-he, slow down, Ash," Serena chuckled behind her palm. "Why don't you register for the league first?"

"Oh, yeah, right." Ash whacked himself in the head. A teenager with a gargantuan goal and an unstoppable haste—a dangerous combination it was. His rivals must have had a run for their money facing him; not that Serena would know. While Ash was travelling, it was rare to even get him on the phone, let alone talk of his rivals. He mostly said he won and that was the end of it. She'd much rather move on to the next topic, even if it predominantly tangents into the chapters from the book, 'The Stuff Nobody Cares About' by yours truly, Ash Ketchum and Serena Yvonne. It could've been seen as inconsiderate of her, but the boy never complained nor forced her involvement. It was their unwritten agreement, so it was all good.

Ash fished out his smartphone and placed it on the glistening counter. "Pokémon League registration, please."

Nurse Joy picked up the smartphone and inserted a cable into its port. She used the trackpad to select a program on the computer and run it.

For the next few seconds, she tinkered clicking various icons. Then something happened. Her smile vanished and her jaw dropped.

She snapped her head towards Ash with a suspicious frown, like he was either a ghost or she found out he was a fugitive in hiding.

Ash scratched his head cluelessly. "Is something wrong, Nurse Joy?"

She didn't reply but did more clicking as she flicked her head repeatedly from the computer screen to Ash, rechecking his credentials for the umptieth time. "Do you have your License with you, _sir_?"

Strange. Smartphones had all the information Nurse Joy required, there was no need for the License. And what was with the sudden shift in her tone? She even addressed Ash as _sir_ now.

"Yeah, gimme a sec." Ash unstrapped his backpack and placed it on the floor.

Serena exchanged facial gestures with Clemont, and as she had thought, even he didn't know what was going on.

"Here you go." Ash placed his license on the countertop.

Serena's eyes widened. That license. Its unique colour, its golden sheen, and the meticulous embossing of Ash's name on it. It screamed power and prestige from every angle. That license was something she only saw in pictures or movies. The last time she laid eyes on it was in a magazine article which covered the Kalos League Winner, and Paul flashed his license out as a pose for the picture.

Nurse Joy's apprehension made complete sense to her now. It was a damn Gold Class License.

"What!" Serena shrieked, her eyes shooting daggers at Ash. If looks could kill, Ash would've been strangled by now.

"What, what?" Ash tilted his head, dumbfounded, his cute face, the one which melted Serena's heart like wax over a fire.

Surprise, love, anger—three emotions offered their assistance to Serena, asking her, urging her, and pressuring her to pick one of them and let loose; but for the first time, in her eighteen years of life, she turned a blind eye at them; she chose patience, the virtuous mantra buried deep within her, or so she believed.

"Ahem, when were you gonna tell me you had that?" Serena tapped her foot. Her arms crossed, and face sharp. " _Mr. Ketchum._ "

"Erm," Ash rubbed a finger under his nose. "He-he, I'm sorry. It happened very recently, I forgot to tell you."

"Tell what?" Bonnie piped in. She turned her face towards her brother. "Tell what, Clemont?"

"That he is a Gold Class Trainer." Clemont removed his glasses and wiped it with a cloth. His eyes jutted like black pimples on bare flesh, unpleasant to even look at. They were tinier than the last time Serena remembered seeing. Somehow their size descended as his age ascended.

_Never lose your glasses, Clemont. And I mean never._

"It's real, he is a GCT, and they too are classified under VIPs in Kalos." Nurse Joy handed Ash back his license and smartphone. "Your registration is now complete, Mr. Ketchum. All the best."

"Thanks, Ms. Joy."

She smiled at Bonnie. "You can have your room now, child."

"Wait, what?"

"Exactly my reaction, Bonnie," Serena said.

"You'll give us the room without daddy's permission?"

Nurse joy whipped out a chocolate bar from her drawer. "That and all the facilities which come with it."

"Yippie!" Bonnie grabbed the chocolate and bounced on her feet.

"Ne-ne-ne." Dedenne, awoken from his sleep, stuck his head out of Bonnie's sling bag.

Bonnie lifted the Antenna Pokémon. "We'll get to sleep in nicest beds today, Dedenne." She spun him in circles, sailing away in an aimless course.

"I'm surprised you achieved that at such a young age, Ash," Clemont, with his glasses back on, said. "No wonder you said you can handle Paul."

"Yeah, well, I got lucky, I guess?" Ash said, stroking Pikachu's chin. "So, now, where's the gym?"

"Aren't you going to explain yourself?" Serena asked, garnishing her voice with slight annoyance. Pikachu jumped off Ash's shoulder and skittered towards Bonnie.

"Explain what? My promotion?"

Serena sighed heavily. "Duh," she said with a shake of her head.

"I told you, didn't I? I forgot."

"You had over one week to tell me, Ash. I'm probably the last one to know."

"No, you're not. Apart from mom and Professor Oak, Gary is the only one who knows."

"You told Gary before me?" her lips pressed into a white line. The patience she thought she had embraced began to chip off, that too at a rapid pace.

"No, he saw it when Professor Oak was updating my PokéDex. I didn't tell him," Ash said. "I'm sorry again Serena, now can we move on from this?"

"Move on?" her voice wavered.

"Why are you making a big deal out of this?"

"Err, Serena, I think Ash is right here," Clemont said, a sweat drop dripping down his cheek. "There is no point in getting worked up. We should probably attend to other important things."

"Exactly, like my gym battle."

"All right, Ash." Serena's chin dipped and a sigh escaped her lips. Lashing out on him wouldn't change a thing. He only forgot to tell her something important and that could happen with anyone. She knew better than most how the brain drifts into different directions, away from the most vital details when necessary. Yes, she could forgive Ash for that. Yes, he deserved to be forgiven. It's only one thing that he didn't tell her; but, that one thing was the thing every trainer dreamed of, and she was one of the last to hear about him achieving it.

Sometimes people deserved to be forgiven. Forgetfulness can surely be forgiven. But what accompanies that forgiveness was the distressing part, the pain. Forgiveness always came with an illusion; an illusion which veiled agony. When somebody forgives someone, there is always pain behind that act. It was a compromise; a compromise which showed how valuable the other person is to the forgiver. How inconsequential their ego was to them when pitted against that someone. And the guilty never understood that, and never will; that was a conundrum of life.

"I'm sorry for lashing out on you, Ash," Serena said. She forced a smile. "Congratulations on your promotion though, I mean it."

"Thanks, Serena." Ash gripped the honey-blonde's palm and gently squeezed it. Heat rushed to Serena's cheeks as Ash's warm touch stirred her nerves. She wondered if he realized what he was doing. "I really forgot to tell you."

Serena smiled heartfeltly, like Ash's touch wrote an imposition of a million words of how sorry he was. And that was all she ever seemed to want, or perhaps his touch cast a spell over her and gave her that impression; she'd never know. "It's okay, Ash. From now on, I'll be beside you every time, so you wouldn't need to tell me anything, I'll find out for myself."

She slapped her mouth as she said that. Guilt just bounced from Ash to her.

"Err, yeah, right, we're travelling together after all." Ash scratched his nape and turned away, avoiding all eye contact.

"Y-y-yeah."

By then, Serena hadn't noticed but Bonnie was back from her frolic spree. She sat on the counter dangling her legs with Pikachu and Dedenne nestled in her lap, sharing her chocolate with the two Pokémon. Nurse Joy had her elbows rested on the same counter; her palms wrapped around her chin. All four had similar expressions, inquisitive smirks which made rhetorical announcements than asking meddling questions.

Those probing stares froze Serena. Her legs refused to move, too shocked, and too embarrassed. She couldn't believe what she had done, and in front of everybody too. Her eyes flickered around, scanning her surroundings. She finally noticed how much of an audience she had gained. The visiting trainers had turned into engrossed spectators. They lanced into her with their inquisitive stares, cruel gossips, and brazen laughter; and ironically, she was sure she'd be the hot topic of discussion for days to come, perhaps even her picture would be hung in the city's centre for people to mock at. Her head began to spin. Even the time when Shauna gifted her a vibrating dildo couldn't match up to this situation. The earth could crack open and swallowed her up and she'd still feel mortified. This was torture.

Whether to give her a break and divert the unwanted attention or to feed his overflowing anxiety, the almond-eyed trainer voiced his concern: "Where is the gym in this city, Nurse Joy?"

"Oh, you can't battle in this gym," Joy said, lifting her face. She dragged her chair forward and sat upright.

"What!" "Pika!" Both trainer and Pokémon mirrored each other's agitation.

Ash hammered his fists on the counter. "Why?"

"Oh, don't you know?" Nurse Joy tapped her chin. "Santalune's gym doesn't give you flags."

"Flags?" Ash tilted his head. "What are those?"

"Yes, GCTs are supposed to earn flags from Gym Leaders, not badges. Haven't somebody told you?"

"No." Ash shook his head.

"Not all Gyms can handle Gold Class Trainers, Ash. To keep it challenging, GCTs should collect Flags instead of Badges," Clemont said. "It's quite rare to see young trainers in with that tag, you know?"

"Yeah, I've heard that before," Ash said. "Now what are these flags, and how are they different from badges?"

"No difference. Flags are the same, like Badges for Gold Class Trainers, but not all gyms can give them. Only those with strong leaders can," Clemont said. "And there are only five gyms having that authority."

"And Santalune is not one of them?"

"Sorry, but no." Nurse Joy shook her head.

"Had I known you were a GCT, I'd have told you before," Clemont said.

"But there is a gym and a leader in this city, right?" Ash asked eagerly.

"Yes, two blocks to your left. The blue building near the fountain. You won't miss it."

"Thanks, Nurse Joy." Ash and Pikachu bolted out the premises.

"Ash, wait!"

The entrance door slammed shut with a bang.

Serena panned her head around uneasily. The attention she gained seemed to simmer down, but not enough for her to revisit this place for another hundred years. She could chase after Ash like she wanted and get this over with, but then... she glanced at Clemont biting his cheek and running his hand over his bag's shoulder straps, giving her an uncertain look.

Clemont sighed. "I'll get the bill and the keys. You'll pay me later. You go ahead with Bonnie."

"Yay!" Bonnie jumped and hugged her brother. "Thanks, Clemont!"

Serena nodded at theblond trainer, appreciating his gesture. "Come on, Bonnie." She took theblonde's hand and bolted out, getting out of this place before the whole worlddecided to turn against her.

* * *

Jackhammers whirred. A team of blue-collared workers in scruffy industrial uniforms drilled their boisterous machines into a wrecked building, dismantling it ruthlessly and thoroughly.

Concrete dust rushed into Serena's lungs, the toxicity burning her insides. She coughed and coughed as her ears buzzed. Her frustration peeked.

She trotted past the construction site, her breath held tight and her hands sealed over her ears.

"Uff, that was loud." Bonnie jumped over a speed bump.

"Yeah. That damn thing is so close to the Pokémon Center too," Serena grumbled, sprucing her hair, ridding off the mortar grime.

"Not so close," Bonnie remarked.

Serena rolled her eyes at her. The blonde knew how much she hates being corrected. Close, not too close, or ten miles away, did it matter? The construction site was too loud, and she didn't like that.

"Err, anyway, where's the gym?"

"She said across the fountain, right?" Serena laid her eyes on the Butterfree-patterned statue of a woman cosseting a Deerling in her lap, feeding it something. Four Pyroars, all in different unique attack postures, stood guard around her. Eight mini fountains between them squirted crystal water, forming a blueish pool around the perimeter.

"Look." Bonnie pointed at a band of vermillion maple trees, behind it was a huge aquatic coloured building in the shape resembling an upturned camera. To its adjoining sidewalk, speaking to two older women was Ash. From the Garchomp incident, Serena recognized one as Alexa, the journalist. The other was a milky blonde in an outfit Serena would choose only on a hiking trip.

Serena paced towards them, crossing the street, her hand habitually held out.

"Ash!" Bonnie sprinted, overtaking Serena.

Ash turned behind and waved. "Hey, guys!"

"You'll never stop running off like that, will you?" Serena scowled as she approached the scar-faced trainer. Sticking Clemont to pay for the entire stay wasn't right, though he didn't seem to mind, it didn't sit right with her. If only Ash had waited a little longer, they could have shared; the gym wasn't blowing up in five minutes, was it?

"Sorry, Serena," Ash scratched his hair. "I couldn't wait to have a battle, you see."

"He-he-he," Bonnie giggled. "By the way you're talking about it, you better give us a good show, mister."

"I'll give you more than just a show." Ash adjusted his hat.

Serena flushed. Any gesture from Ash was nothing less than a valiant act to her, and every valiant act drenched her face with a magnum of luxurious red wine.

"Are these the friends you were talking about?" the blond woman in hiking attire spoke up.

A flower pot tumbled. It rolled down the sidewalk and settled at Serena's feet. She tracked the soil trail which lead to two frisky yellow Pokémon—Pikachu and Helioptile. The lizard and mouse chased after each other tails in circles like a never-ending merry-go-round. Just looking at it made Serena dizzy.

The blonde woman kneeled and connected two perpendicular fingers forming a square, and viewed at Serena's feet through it. "Day time, low angle, warm tones, low aperture, and low grain. Tsk, perfect shot representing how humans crush the environment under their feet."

She whisked the camera around her neck and aimed the lens at Serena's feet. "Please lift your leg like you're stamping the pot."

"Huh?" Serena jerked her head back.

"Do it!"

She flinched at the sudden order. Without a question, she raised her leg and planted it over the pot.

 _Snap!_ The camera's shutter clicked.

The woman got up, shuffling her hands over the camera. Her face contorted differently each time she pressed a button.

"Erm, excuse me?" Serena said, her chin trembling, darting her eyes all around. What just happened?

"Oh, sorry," the woman blushed and dropped the camera which was safely secured around her neck by its strap. She extended her hand out and smiled. "Hi, I'm Viola, professional photographer and the Gym Leader of Santalune Gym; nice to meetcha."

So, she was the Gym Leader, huh? She may have started off at in awkward fashion, but she had a chirpy vibe and she seemed delightful.

Serena shook her hand. "Hey, Viola, this is Serena. Nice to meet you too."

"I'm Bonnie," theLumiose blonde chimed in with her pleasantries.

* * *

"Get ready, Viola, this is my first gym battle in a long time." Ash fastened his gloves from the challenger box. "My Pokémon are hungry. Real hungry."

"I was declined the flag status twice in a row. Grr, le'me see what you gold trainers got. Heh, buncha show-offs." Viola tightened her tights' straps. "This is war, all right! My lens is focused on victory and nothing will ruin this shot."

"You lose, I win," the journalist, Alexa yelled from the side-lines.

"Hurrah! Ash, you got this. Come on, Ash, crush her, woohoo! ..." Bonnie cheered barbarically. Dedenne jumped on the railing Bonnie leaned on, blowing into a miniaturized whistle and dangling two oversized pom poms in his arms.

Clemont pushed his glasses behind. "It's not every day you get to see a gym leader go all out, what do you say, Serena?"

_Huh?_

_What?_

_Right!_

_Yes._

_No._

_Yes._

_Buzz!_

_"Pssst, Serena!"_

_"Eh?"_

_"Snap out of it! Ash only called the photograph of your feet pretty. He didn't mean you in whole. Wake up, you dumb butt!"_

_"Y-y-y-y-yes-s-s-s-s-s, b-b-b-b-but..."_

_"Get your shit together, bitch, or you'll miss his battle."_

_"O-o-o-k-kay. I-I-I'll try."_

Serena breathed out, her arms still trembling like she was on a bus ride through a choppy road.

_"Do you even know what all happened till now?"_

_"Y-yeah, I'm not deaf. Now get out of my head before I kill you!"_

_"Fuck you, bye."_

"Serena?"

"Huh!" Serena flinched. "S-sorry, Clemont, you were saying?"

Clemont shook his head and sighed defeatedly. "Nothing, let's watch the battle, shall we?"

"Yeah, s-sure. Ash's battle."

To put things into perspective, Ash had used his spectacular silver tongue and worked his way into a deal with the Santalune Gym Leader. If she won, her sister, Alexa would get her interview with Ash. If Ash won, well, he gets nothing since he already got his want—a battle. Not that Viola would've declined the challenge otherwise, her bitter rivalry towards GCTs could make her go to any lengths for a battle against Ash. But it was Alexa who worked her journalistic genius and struck that deal, and Ash was so confident, he didn't even falter for a second before accepting.

"All right! Let's do this!" Ash said.

Pikachu jittered his paws and leapt onto the hardened earthy terrain. A devious grin on his face. "Pika!"

"Sorry, buddy, not today," Ash plucked a shrunk Pokéball from his belt. "I have someone else in mind. I've been watching him for two days now, and I want to try him. I have a feeling."

Pikachu's ears twitched. He panned his head around. "Pika pika pi? Pika pi pika pika pikachu?"

"No, you're getting our first official gym battle. Our tradition stays the same. This is an unofficial one, so you can rest."

"Pika pi pika pikachu?" Pikachu grumbled with narrowed eyes.

"You can't battle both times, now come back, you'll have your chance."

Pikachu stomped the ground. He used his hind legs and heaved a little dirt in Ash's direction. With an annoyed pout, he tromped out of the battlefield, making sure his face was directed away from Ash all the distance he strutted to the dugout. He vaulted over the battlefield's wall fence and hopped into Serena's lap.

"He-he, looks like he'll cheer you from here, Ash." Serena caressed the mouse lovingly. It perplexed her that Ash wasn't using Pikachu in his first battle. Given that he was his starter, Serena thought he would want to start off strong, but nevertheless, she welcomed his decision. Pikachu's fur was like untouched organic cotton and his body, a water balloon which never burst. Serena could snuggle him all her life and yet never get bored.

"I'll get you later, fuzzball," Ash grumbled and enlarged his Pokéball.

"Pika!" Pikachu secured himself straight and crossed his arms, his head conveniently nestling between Serena's breasts. Great! Lately, the Pokémon she's been cuddling with unironically turned out to be of the right size to reach her rib cushions. _Damn you, destiny!_

"Err, you have some interesting Pokémon, Ash," Viola commented.

"Yeah, you should see," Ash lowered his head, scratching his hair. "Anyway, can we start?"

"Thought you'd never ask." Viola parked her hands on her hips, a brash twist to her lips.

"The unofficial gym battle between Gym Leader, Viola and challenger, Ash will now commence. Each trainer can use two Pokémon and are not allowed to switch until either Pokémon is unable to battle. Is that clear?" the referee announced, raising two flags.

"Yes!" their voices said together.

"Now begin!" The referee flicked the flags down.

"I'll go first." Viola reached out to a Pokéball on her belt and flung it. "Go, Surskit!"

A quadrupedal Pokémon materialized. Its lanky legs as pliable as rubber gave it some proportion, else its body was tinier than a fist. It horizontally slid on the chapped terrain like it had roller skates fastened to its legs.

Serena frowned. This Pokémon looked as strong as a Caterpie on its best day. Did Viola really believe she could take Ash down with this?

She tapped Clemont's shoulder. "How strong is a Surskit?"

"Not too strong in my opinion. If it was, it'd have evolved into a Masquerain, and Surskits don't take long to evolve," Clemont said.

"Ah-hah, what if a trainer decided to not evolve her Pokémon? What if a trainer used an everstone for eight years on a Pokémon? Don't you think that'd make a good title for an article." Alexa said. The Helioptile from earlier slithered from her hip and settled on her shoulder.

"You mean...?"

The journalist winked at Serena.

"I choose you..." Ash hurled his Pokéball. "Froakie!"

Great. Ash chose him over Pikachu? Froakie was strong, no doubt. He often challenged the students at the academy to keep in shape, and more often than not, he gave tough battles. But Pikachu was Ash's starter and had a lot more experience than Froakie who had joined Ash only a few days ago. On no level did Serena think Froakie could match up to Pikachu. Even if she never saw the yellow mouse battle before, from the stories she heard from Ash and the confidence this scoundrel emulated, she was sure the electric type would've been a better match; especially since Viola was a bug typist.

With a battle cry of a superhero jumping into the mouth of chaos, Froakie landed on the ochre soil with an aerial summersault.

He smirked at the size of his foe. His body was almost thrice Surskit's.

Ash reached out to his smartphone. Serena did too.

_Surskit, Pond Skater Pokémon. Bug-water type, female._

_From the tips of its feet, Surskit secretes oil that enables it to walk on water as if it were skating. It draws prey with a sweet scent from the tip of its head._

"Careful there, Froakie, don't go by Surskit's size," Ash said. "Viola surely has some plan."

"Heh, I'm glad you said that. Most trainers underestimate my Surskit taking her by face value," Viola said, and then smirked. "And most trainers lose."

"We'll change that. Water Pulse!" Ash swept his hand, his lightning grin deluging the battlefield with exhilaration.

Froakie bounced off a nearby rock and twirled into the air, a shiny blue orb in his webbed hand.

Using his rotatory momentum for extra force, he thrust the sphere.

"F/12, Signal Beam!" Viola cocked her hand back.

A coral sphere formed between Surskit's eyes. She fired it like a dense beam.

The attacks collided and a grey cloud of smoke erupted, its recoil swaying the coconut trees behind the side-lines.

Serena tucked a slipped hair strand behind her ear and fixed her loosened fedora. That clash had a gusty kick to it.

The smoke cleared quickly, and both Pokémon were on the ground sneering at each other; unscathed, energized, and ready for the fight.

"You've raised your Froakie well, Ash," Viola said. "Not all Pokémon can match that Signal Beam."

"Honestly, Viola, even I am surprised. I thought I'd have to call Froakie to dodge."

"What do you mean?"

"I haven't trained Froakie at all. He joined my team only three days ago," Ash said. "That was all his own hard work."

"You're using your newer team?" Viola slumped her shoulders. "And here I thought to go all out on you." She rubbed her forehead shaking her head.

"Froakie may be new to my team." Ash balled his fingers. "But we're ready to take on whatever you got. What d'ya say, Froakie?"

"Froakie Fro!"

"Cool then, your funeral." Viola punched the air. "F/8, Signal Beam!"

The bug type shot another beam, much brighter and bulkier this time.

Froakie athletically backflipped.

The attack rammed into the ground and created a black crater at the spot.

"Bubble!"

Froakie jumped, spun like a top, joined his paws together, and fired a shower of bubbles.

They barraged into Surskit, each bubble popping upon contact. "Surs-s-s!"

"Now Pound." Ash punched the air.

From his position, high in the air, Froakie threw himself at Surskit, diving down straight and sharp, arrow-like.

"Protect." Viola thumped her foot.

A mirror-like shield formed before Surskit.

Froakie crashed into it.

Serena cringed.

The water type rebounded, rolled, and ploughed into the ground. His inexperience was his greatest enemy, and it showed.

"Shadow Ball!"

Surskit skated circles around the frog with the eyes of a prowling predator. She launched multiple ominous orbs, boomeranging at him in hefty arches.

Froakie sought to leap away, but the attack rammed him back to the ground.

"Hang in there, Froakie!"

Froakie winced, staggered, tumbled at each successive hit. Surskit left no slot untouched, no spot unstruck, no shot unlost. She welted him without missing a beat.

The water starter tried to get up, but another barrage came at him, raining blow after blow. It clobbered him and pinned him into the earth mercilessly.

"Don't let him recover, F/2, Signal Beam," Viola screamed. "Finish him!"

"Get out of there!" Ash hollered.

Surskit backtracked, skating around in circles.

Froakie pushed himself up, scraped and bruised, his body trembling. He rose to his feet, panting. He quailed and dropped back to the ground.

A loud howl and Surskit began to charge the bug energy again.

"Froakie, move!" Ash shouted.

The water type didn't respond. His limbs twitched, sequential huffs escaping his mouth. He cowered.

Serena's feet fidgeted restlessly, her shoe heels clattering against the granite flooring. Ash couldn't lose his first battle in Kalos. If he did, however outlandish it may seem, it would be her fault, hers and only hers.

Her clammy fingers felt Pikachu's warm body vibrate, his heart pounded and the reverberations travelled through her arms and resonated with her own heartbeat. Her own thuds amplified.

Surskit was finished with her charge.

Serena gasped. She could swear the sphere was thrice its previous size. The Signal Beam would undoubtedly be massive.

If Froakie doesn't escape, he'd be knocked out cold, period. No Pokémon should be able to continue battling after taking such a colossal hit.

She whirled her head towards Viola. With a celebratory grin, she tossed her head, her blonde fore-brunches flapping like silent string bells, announcing her evident victory. She stuck to her word; she held nothing back. She may not seem like it but she's brutal, viciously brutal.

With a loud screech, Surskit released her beam, its width nearly covering one-third of the field.

"Froakie, No!"

_Boom!_

The beam connected and debris heaved in all directions.

Serena covered her face and ducked.

Several grimacing grunts and coughs sounded from her side. She recognized Clemont's being the loudest, probably protecting Bonnie from the grainy onslaught.

The sand drizzled over her, her hair receiving the worst treatment. The grist infiltrated through her silky fibres and settled on her scalp. She knew it, could even feel it. All the meticulous care she had given it was ruined. It'd take at least ten washes to cleanse it and get its texture back. She hated that. However, on the brighter side, today, the shower would be her paradise. She could finally try out that shampoo she had bought with Shauna during their shopping spree in Lumiose Mall. It did come with a label stating to repair any and every hair damage, although her purchase was due to its enticing smell than its exorbitant claim.

About a minute had gone by, and the dehydrated blood rain seemed to have subsided. Her skin felt no more of that gritty bombardment, and what remained was only the warm weight of sand on her arms, accumulated in greedy pilings like they came to collect the free candy she distributed.

She bent down and carefully moved her arms out of the away, making sure the coarse pilings dropped down and not into her eyes or her top, that would be irksome; although she had a faint idea that a few grains sneaked into her tear ducts and inside her bra. Her arms couldn't shield her entire body. The relaxing shower she envisaged just turned from a necessity into an urgency. 

She wiped her face, brushed her neck, and popped an eye open. A brown cloud covered the battlefield, no one visible and no sound audible.

Pikachu jumped off her lap, giving her the room that she needed to clean herself, especially her hair. She dusted it, doing the best she could.

The yellow mouse shook himself, ridding off the sand, and jumped back into her lap. His face nestled between her breasts, again. Phew, she probably should get used to this.

She directed her gaze towards her friends. They were long done with her dry dusting and sat tensed, wringing their interlocked fingers and biting their lips anxiously. Only Alexa seemed calm, a petty smirk on her lips.

"Froakie," Bonnie muttered sympathetically with drooped shoulders. Dedenne trying his best to comfort the little girl with his gentle coaxing, but it didn't seem to work.

"I hope he doesn't get too injured," Serena said softly, sharing the same emotion as the lemon-blonde.

"Worry not, my sister only used half of Surskit's power. Froakie will be all right."

"What!" three voices exclaimed. An incredulous look marinated Serena's cerulean eyes. She gaped at the journalist. How strong was this Surskit?

"Pika pi!"

Serena snapped her head to the murky battlefield; her throat dry and heart throbbing. Alexa's remark had ignited a new fear in her. Now she just hoped Froakie survived.

The thin breeze circulating around the field's fringe streamed the dust away, making way for obscure images of the two trainers. The centre was still opaque, yards away from even calling it translucent.

Serena squinted at the Z-cheeked trainer. He had his fingers gripped on the challenger box's steel railing. His teeth were clenched, their grinding sound distinctly apparent to her; his hands shivered, profusely, that too.

"Ash." Her fingers touched her parted lips.

"He looks so broken," Clemont said. Serena couldn't agree more with him. Ash gave her the image of a destitute man wandering in the remote alleys of a city on a hailing winter night, and looking at his deprived condition the fate decided to play a vile prank and stole his only rug away, leaving him bare-chested and crippled, on that hailing winter night.

Time seemed to move at a glacial pace. And every second delayed was another nerve frayed.

Serena swallowed. Her throat hurt at that dry gulp like it wasn't saliva but sand which passed through her oesophagus.

The dust finally settled, and both Pokémon were still on the field.

Surskit stood still, straight-faced.

Froakie was curled into a ball, immobile.

"Froakie! Can you hear me?" Ash yelled, leaning against the railing, pushing his body into the field as if that little distance could increase his volume.

Froakie didn't even quiver.

"Froakie!" he yelled again, much louder and much concerned.

Still no movement.

"Poor Froakie," Serena said. "He chewed more than he could bite."

"Pika." Pikachu's ears drooped.

"Yeah," Clemont said. "Ash shouldn't have chosen him. He wasn't ready for a challenge this strong."

The referee raised a flag in Viola's direction. "Froakie is unable to bat—"

Froakie's body withered, and then vanished; like— _poof!_

"What?" Viola flinched. "How's that possible?"

Surprise dressed all eyes, all, except Serena's. She had her focus on Ash's eyes—it wasn't surprised nor appalled but filled with pride; pride of a fully evolved bird watching her offspring take its first successful flight.

Serena smiled.

A coconut smacked into Surskit. She turned around, grunting and glaring, noticing the water type on the trees.

Serena pulled out her smartphone.

_Substitute. The user makes a decoy of itself and flees to a safer location. The copy fades after one attack._

"So, this was what you were practising for the last two days?" Ash said with a grin.

"Fro Froakie!" the water starter nodded from the tree. He seemed a little tired but recuperated well from that short-long break.

"Mr. Ash Ketchum, you get your first warning," the referee said. "If you fail to call your Pokémon back into the battlefield, I'll have to disqualify him."

"That's all right, Britney. Ash can do whatever he wants," Viola said, and faced towards her challenger. "Or else, where's the fun? right, Ash?"

"Damn right!" Ash displayed his fist, hero-like.

Serena flushed, instinctively drawing circles on Pikachu's tummy.

"Surskit, let's crank up the ISO."

"Surs."

"Whatever that means, we're ready to take you on."

"Froakie!"

Ash spun his hat around. A new spirit ignited in him, transforming him into a completely different person. He might have seen defeat a million times before, or maybe even more, but it didn't show. Everything from the way he held himself, to the dauntless aura he radiated, to that spark of decisive confidence in his eyes which gallantly proclaimed that he was the vanquisher, the undefeated gladiator who came here to claim his accolade, and those who shall stand in his way shall perish into ashes. It electrified Serena's nerves, creating a turbulence within her.

His jacket wavered at the silent breeze, he had the poise of a film hero delivering his climax punchline, so dynamic that had someone told Serena that Ash could shoot lasers from his eyes, break buildings with one punch, or even melt steel with his breath, she'd have probably bought it.

She flushed again, tensing her hold around Pikachu. "Ash is winning. For sure."

The battle has just begun.

* * *

**A/N**

Let me know how you liked my new system of Flags. Since I made Ash a little too strong, I thought even his opponents should get that strength boost to keep things even. And that's why he isn't OP. Feel me?

I know my dialogues are a little too on the nose. I'm still learning so give me some time and hopefully, they'll get better sooner than later.

I hope you liked my descriptions. I'm still working on bettering them, so let's see. **  
**

I actually have a tag line for this fic which I never revealed here on AO3, but now I will.

It is... 

Wait for it... 

Drumroll... 

Hang in there... 

Hold on... 

You got me, here it is:

**" Gotta Bond 'em all"**


	14. Till I Collapse

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the extreme delay. Since I've set the bar for battles high, I had to make it seem that way. I had to balance a lot of elements while showing the intensity of the battle, and honestly, it was a little challenging since I don't want to write a battle as most authors write. It's not a jab at anyone, but you may already know, from my plot, I like to keep things as different and unique as possible.
> 
> I know most of you will skip almost everything in this chapter since this is only a battle, but those who like action may enjoy it, I hope. And I doubt any of you have read a battle written this way. (If you have, then let me know. I want to read and learn from there). I'm honestly, really proud of this chapter.
> 
> PS: The bold speech for Pokémon is gone from now. 
> 
> Disclaimer: There are one or two parts (sentences in fact) where I tried to create visceral images, and my skin tingled when I wrote them. Reader's discretion advised.

** PREVIOUSLY IN ‘THE LEGEND OF ASH KETCHUM’ **

**Chapter-3:**

_“Sometimes, in the heat of the battle, I feel as if I’m connected to my Pokémon. I keep getting tired and they keep getting stronger, as if my energy flows into them. It happens extremely rare, but when it does—that’s when I have my best battles and I know I’m up against a worthy rival.”_

_“What you’ve experienced, son, is a unique battle phenomenon known as, the aura-bond.”_

_“Does that happen because I can use aura?”_

_“No, anybody can experience it. When the feelings between the trainer and the Pokémon match during a battle, the aura-bond occurs.”_

_“You mean, my bond with my Pokémon is why all that happened with me?”_

_“Yes, it is._

_“The aura-bond is a battle phenomenon; it occurs only when the trainer and the Pokémon have synchronized emotions and are put under deep stress during a battle. The state of extreme emotions, is the trigger for aura-bond and that happens only when you’re fighting against the wind, yet you still keep moving.”_

* * *

Viola peeped through a lens she formed with fingers. “Shadow Ball, burst mode!”

“Use Pound!” Ash sliced the air with his fingers.

Gloomy orbs flurried at the trees. Froakie leapt onto a leafstalk, trampolined to another, then another, and another, dodging them all. He grabbed onto another stalk with both hands, tugged it down, catapulted into the air, wheeled forward, and nosedived at Surskit.

“Protect.”

A mirror-like barrier materialized before Surskit. Froakie sprung off of it with his webbed feet. He clung back on the tree and snorted. 

“You need equipment to click a picture; you need moves to win a battle,” Viola said. “Your Froakie lacks both.”

“Right. But…” a bold smirk edged Ash’s lips. “There’s equipment everyplace. Moves everywhere.”

“Huh?” Viola’s brow arched. “You got something?”

“Yup. Check this out.” Ash eyed his water type. “Froakie, get those coconuts and toss them at Surskit.”

Froakie grinned his widest grin. He clambered to the treetop, plucked a hefty coconut from the beetling cluster, and flung it at Surskit.

“Protect!” Viola hurried.

The coconut smacked into the barrier and caromed off.

“Keep them coming. Break that Protect!”

One after the other, Ash’s water type barraged hard-shelled nuts at Surskit; but again, they caromed off the protective barrier, shielding her from any hit.

“Get around, Froakie.” Ash swung his hand.

A colossal leap, and Froakie crossed six trees. With a coconut in hand, he twisted his body, and hurled it with all strength. The coconut smashed into Surskit’s back. She screamed painfully, and her protect disintegrated.

Froakie hopped off the ground, and pounded at his foe. Surskit wheeled into the air. Froakie jumped, and roundhouse kicked her in the gut. Surskit crashed into the wall.

“All right!” Ash punched the air. Froakie landed with a summersault. “That’s one down.”

“Tsk, tsk, tsk. How naïve.” Viola dipped her head, shaking it sympathetically. “Surskit, let’s refocus. Show them our real composition.”

With a vociferous cry, the water-bug type jumped to her feet. She frowned icily, angry, annoyed, and agitated.

“On your guard, Froakie.” Ash squinted. _What is it that you’re trying, Viola?_

Surskit yowled. A voltaic energy shot up from her antenna. It reflected off the ceiling’s stained-glass, diverged into various thunder-like rays, and struck the battlefield in various spots. Froakie hopped, dodging the rays. And as Surskit was done, the battlefield glistened. An ice cap layered it.

Ash flexed his muscles. _So this was what refocusing meant._

Surskit skated agilely over the ice, dancing immaculately like a ballerina on steroids. She skimmed laps around the field, getting faster with each circuit.

Froakie’s sat tight; his eyes darted all over the field as he tried to keep track of Surskit’s flawless movements.

“Can you move on it, Froakie?”

Ash’s water type took a step. His leg slipped, he skidded and fell on his back.

“Signal Beam, F/22, burst mode.”

Surskit circled Froakie, firing rapid pink bullets at him. The Bubble Frog rolled left and right, dodging a few, enduring the rest. He tried to get on his feet, but slipped again. 

Something seemed off about this ice, and Ash could feel it. It was a little too greasy than normal. Froakie’s sticky feet should have allowed him to move on ice, yet he couldn’t. _I should find a solution soon, or risk losing the round._

Surskit then ceased her attacks and continued to skate around the panting Froakie on his back.

Ash followed Surskit’s movements, hoping to find a clue. She moved jet fast and nearly covered the whole terrain. He peered closer at her. He vaguely noticed something flowing out of her lanky legs. Something transparent and… That’s it! Her legs. Dexter did say she secretes oil to walk on water. She must be using the same technique on ice, too. Ash smiled, impressed. Viola was smart, but he can outsmart her. “Froakie, back to the trees.”

“Uh-huh, Sticky Web on the field,” Viola said. “Trap him.”

Froakie rolled on the ice haphazardly, dodging the Sticky Web. When he reached the field’s end, he climbed up the wall. He sat on the wall’s rim, and slapped his behind, taunting his opponent. Surskit, annoyed, fired Shadow Balls at him. Froakie then leapt onto a tree, twisting and turning, evading the attacks.

“Way to go, Froakie,” Ash said. “Now use Water Pulse.”

“Shadow Ball!”

Blue and black orbs clashed and cancelled each other. 

“Water Pulse, again.”

“Signal Beam.”

Attacks clashed and cancelled.

“Again, Froakie.”

“You should try something else, Ash. Shadow Ball.”

Clashed and cancelled.

“Don’t you worry about me. Water Pulse.”

“Grr, Ice Beam.”

“Gotcha!” Ash snapped his fingers. “Froakie, Pound into that.”

“What!”

The attacks clashed, but didn’t cancel; instead, the Ice Beam froze the watery orb into a rugged iceberg. Froakie slammed his head into it with Pound. The ice exploded into infinite shards. He landed back on the icy field. His leg slipped again, but he maintained a menacing scowl.

“Froakie, take your pick of the sharpest shards,” Ash said. “And use your frubbles to stick them to your feet.”

The Bubble Frog looked back at Ash with twinkling eyes. He nodded and did as instructed.

Viola crossed her arms. “So, this was your plan after all?”

“Your battle style is easy to read. I knew you’d use Ice Beam again. I just had to bait you and wait.”

With his new shard skates, Froakie zigzagged his way on the satiny ice, cutting through the gummy webs on it, and leaving blade trails at his wake. “Bring it on, Bugsy.”

Surskit frowned.

“Don’t think you have me figured yet,” Viola said. “My lens isn’t prime.”

Ash smirked. _I’ve figured you, all right. You’re tough, I’ll give you that, but you’re cocky too. Very cocky. It’s only a matter of time before you slip up._ “I’m just getting started.” He punched forward. “Pound. Let’s go!”

“Shadow Ball!” Viola cocked her hand back.

Backtracking in circles, Surskit shot her gloomy orbs at Froakie.

With his hands tied back, Froakie sped across the ice, following his foe’s flashy movements.

Shadow Balls blitzed at him.

_Zip!_

A tilt to the right. Dodge.

A tilt to the left. Dodge.

_Zip!_

An effortless twist of his shoulder. Dodge.

An elegant reel on his blade. Dodge.

_Zip!_

An arch to the left; an arch to the right.

Left, right, left.

Left, right, left.

And repeat.

Each Shadow Ball evaded with grace. Not a single graze.

His speed then raised.

A milky cap over his head glazed.

He skated, whizzed, and pounded into Surskit.

“Awesome! Now use Water Pulse.”

Froakie leapt into the air, spinning, a watery orb in his hand.

“Quick, Haze!”

_Damn it!_

Froakie flung his attack, but the water-ball got lost in the thick black cloudiness. He landed, and got buried in the same black cloudiness.

“Shadow Ball.”

A wham, and Froakie pinwheeled up, groaning, over the haze, and into the air.

“Finish him.” Viola swept her hand. “Signal Beam, F/4.”

“Substitute!”

No chance.

Ash lunged out of his box.

Signal Beam crashed into Froakie.

Froakie crashed into Ash.

Ash crashed into the wall.

It was all over.

“Ash!” an orchestra of screeches rang from the side. Ash cast a grimacing glance at Froakie. A painful pang shot through his back, throbbing along his spine. He gritted his teeth and cringed. He withstood worse before.

Froakie’s limbs shivered. Scratches and bruises covered all over his body. Not too bad. A day at the Pokémon Centre should restore him back to his usual spirits. He tried to move, get back into the fight, but Ash stopped him. He’s had enough. He cradled his Pokémon in his arms, and resisting his pain in his back, he forced a smile. _Proud of you, Froakie. I really am._

“Ash, are you okay?” a panicky voice called out, worried and concerned. It was Serena. She and Pikachu leaned into the battlefield against the fence wall.

“Y-yeah, I’m fine,” Ash groaned. “Thanks.”

“Why would you do that?” she yelled angrily. Her voice was strict now, but concern still lingered in it.

“Not now, Serena.” Ash dismissed her. He flimsily straightened himself up and got back on his feet. He returned Froakie into his contraption. “You were awesome, Froakie. Take a good rest for now.” He turned to Viola. “That was a good warm-up.” He vaulted over the railing, into his challenger box, wincing slightly. “Now why don’t we get started with the main event?”

“You sure get me fired up,” Viola said. “But I have to say this though: your Froakie earned my respect. Do tell him I said that.”

“Will do. Thanks.”

“Miss, please get back to your seat and take the mouse along with you,” the referee, Britney said. “Or I shall have you both escorted out of the premises.”

“Yeah? Make me, you eight-chinned hag.” Pikachu poised to pounce, sparking static from his cheeks.

“Pikachu! Back off!” Ash commanded strictly, displeased at his partner’s rudeness.

“What’s her problem if we stay?”

“Let it go, Buddy. Let the battle do the talking,” Ash said. “That’s our style, isn’t it?”

Pikachu smirked. “Whoop her butt. Make it bleed.”

“Err, right.” Ash scratched his head with a finger, wondering if his mouse realized that the battle was against Viola and not the referee. Well, it was better to play along than point that out to him. He shifted his glance over to his oldest friend. “Serena?”

“Ye-yes, Ash?” The honey-blonde blinked, almost thrice in one second.

“Can you please take Pikachu and go back to your seat?” Ash said. “I’m all right, and I’ll see you both after the battle.”

“Um, okay.” She bit her lower lip. Pikachu crawled up and perched on her shoulder. “But please, don’t do that again.”

Ash smiled softly. “I’ll try.”

Serena nodded and lumbered back to her seat with Pikachu.

“Phew, now since that’s done,” Viola said and glanced at the tight-lipped referee. “Britney?”

“Yes,” she said, and then grumbled something inaudible. She raised the flags in her hands, then dropped the one in Ash’s direction. “Froakie is disqualified for his trainer returning him before the call.” She raised the flag she just dropped. “Challenger, please choose your next Pokémon.”

Ash flicked a glance at the side-lines: Alexa sat cross-armed with Helioptile coiled around her neck. The smug twist on her lips said everything running through her head. Bonnie was beside her with slumped shoulders; Dedenne settled on her head, his pom-poms nearly slipping off his petite arms. Froakie’s fall must have dispirited them. No problem. They’ll light up once he made his next choice. Ash was sure of that. Clemont had his arm over Bonnie, comforting her. Then there was Serena to the far side. She had her hands wrapped around his smirking Pikachu. Fuzzball knew who was coming next. No wonder he was so confident. _Rascal_. Ash's eyes landed back on Serena. Her face was puffy and her posture saggy, seemingly upset at his reckless act. Yet, even with that face, he couldn’t deny how she looked. She was… _ahem._

He veered his head back to the battlefield, plucked a Pokéball attached to his belt, and chucked it. “I choose you… Pidgeot!”

Golden sparkles rained on the battlefield, and his Kanto bird materialized. Her mere presence, a manifestation of clout and beauty. Her glossy sheen sparkled as she swished a lap around the arena.

“We’ve got two Pokémon left; think you can handle that, Pidgeot?”

She docked before Ash. The inky haze covered most of her lower body. “Give me three and I’ll find a fourth one to take down.”

“Thought you’d say that,” Ash muttered with a chuckle.

“So, the shiny saviour of Lumiose… finally in flesh.” Viola raised her hand and stroked her jaw.

“Huh? You know about that?” Ash asked, dazed.

“Ha-ha, half of Kalos does, Ash. But I’m afraid we have a battle before we can talk about that.”

“Of course!”

“Battle resume!” the referee flicked her flags down.

“Hurricane! Get rid of that Haze.” Ash scissored his arms.

Pidgeot swooshed into the air and flapped her wings. Vigorous gusts surged and transformed into a turbulent hurricane. Ripped leaves and broken twigs rushed into its vortex. The Hurricane swept across the ice-field, blowing out the Haze like dust during a storm.

Surskit skated around the attack, evading the Hurricane’s currents.

“Air Slash!”

“Ice Beam.” Viola stabbed an open palm forward.

“Gotcha! Steel Wing, let’s go!”

As air discs slashed into the ivory beam, Pidgeot bucked past it, lightning-like, faster than her own attack. She clubbed her metallic wings into Surskit, smacking her into the wall.

“Surskit!” Viola panicked.

“Finish her, Sky Attack!”

Pidgeot rocketed up. The ceiling’s glass shattered, and she whizzed out the arena. 

“Surskit, give it your all. Signal Beam, F/1!”

Surskit, tired and injured, struggled back on her legs, trembling. The bout against Froakie drained her, and Pidgeot’s Steel Wing weakened her. Taking shallow breaths, she began to charge a pink mass of energy before her.

Tension swelled. A grim silence proliferated all around. Grinding teeth, cracking knuckles, fidgeting feet—every minute sound was audible.

One.

Two.

Three.

Heartbeats resonated and echoed in Ash’s ears like drum beats. The energy before Surskit bloated, bigger and bigger.

Four.

Five.

Six.

Air breezed, instilling life in a few dead leaves. The energized orb before Surskit was now thrice her size, as big as a wrecking ball.

“Surskit, get ready.”

 _Seven!_ “No use.” Ash smirked. “Pidgeot!”

“Now! Let it rip!”

The fuchsia beam fired skyward. The ceiling exploded. Glass and wooden pieces flew everywhere. A blue comet-shaped energy, Pidgeot, drove into the beam. But the beam’s force held her at bay.

“Don’t give up, Pidgeot!”

Pidgeot rolled, drilled through the beam, and pressed forward.

“You got this, Surskit!”

Surskit strained. The beam widened, and pushed Pidgeot back.

“Pidgeot!” Ash cried through the violent winds impaling at him.

Pidgeot’s comet shape swelled. Spun faster. Glowed brighter. Charged ahead, rapidly diminishing the gap. 

“Surskit!” Viola covered her face from the assaulting leaves.

Surskit screamed. Her attack intensified. She slid back from the recoil. Her legs punctured into the ice. She held her ground. And then, just then, for a brief second—she stumbled.

 _Bang!_ Pidgeot zapped into her.

* * *

Serena spat out a leaf stuck between her lips. Grey smoke screened the battlefield. Clouds billowed, and the last thing she saw was a blinding blue flash accompanied by a loud bang. “Think Ash won?” she asked, plucking out the little twigs stuck in her dishevelled hair.

“In my calculated opinion, yes,” Clemont said. “If not then Surskit deserves a spot in Diantha’s team.”

“Pika pika, pika.”

“What was that?” Serena dipped her head at the mouse in her lap. The dust in her hair tickled her nose. “You think… you think”— _achoo—_ “You think Surskit’s not out yet?”

“Pi pi pi.” Pikachu shook his head. “Picha pika pi pikachu.”

“I think he means to say, Surskit’s knocked out for good,” Alexa said in the voice that resembled a disappointed parent talking about her middle-aged sluggard son. “And he might just be right.”

Serena wiped her nose with a hanky. “Is that it?”

“Chu.” Pikachu nodded.

Serena’s lips _strained_ into a thin _half-smile_ at the concerted opinions. Ash certainly seemed to have this round in his bag, and there was only one more to go. She was glad, very glad about it, but wasn’t elated, like she had thought she would be; nor were her cheeks flaming like baking ovens, like she had thought they would be. She was merely, simply, only, glad.

The better part of her mind was too conflicted to rejoice what would be Ash’s first victory in her presence, and it was solely his fault for that. Did he really have to dive at Froakie to cushion his crash? Was it necessary to put himself at such risk? Froakie would’ve been completely fine without his daredevil-ish intervention, and even if he wouldn’t, and was hurt a bit more, there were hundreds of Pokémon Centres to take care of that. But the same couldn’t be said for Ash. Didn’t that idiot know that unlike Pokémon, humans are much more fragile and susceptible to injuries? The gap between a scratch and death was too small to flirt with. A wrong hit at the wrong spot, that’s all. That’s all it took for a plunge from ‘I’m all right’ to ‘dead silence’.

In the span of under a week, he jeopardized his life twice for a Pokémon he barely even knew, and coincidently or not, both times it was for the same Pokémon, and who knows how many times more he would. At this stage, Serena began to question if admitting Froakie in his team was a wise decision or not. She unequivocally loved Froakie like any of her own Pokémon; but however, willing or unwillingly, his presence seemed to put Ash in danger more than anything, and that wasn’t something she could sit tight with. If such incidents continued to occur in the same tangent, and Ash would continue to risk his life for him, she was sure, from the bottom of her gut, it wouldn’t be long before…

“P-P-Pi!” Pikachu grimaced, squirming in her arms.

“Oh, I’m so sorry, Pikachu.” Serena loosened her grip she didn’t know she had tightened. “Better?”

“Pika.” Ash’s electric type nestled comfortably, to her displeasure, between her boobs. Yep, she should definitely get used to this. 

“Look!” Bonnie pointed at the battlefield.

The smoke had done clearing out, and just as the mouse had predicted, in a crater within the frozen terrain, among rubbles of ice fragments, Surskit lay unconscious, her eyes swirling in defeat.

“Surskit is unable to battle.” Britney struck a flag down. “The gym leader will now choose her next Pokémon.”

“Yippee! Ash won. He won!” Bonnie and Dedenne jounced in their seats, cheering ecstatically.

“I gotta give it to Ash, he raised his Pidgeot excellently. That Sky Attack was no joke,” Alexa said with an impressed expression, but that was all; in no way did she display any signs of worry. She was as confident as a master baker with a cake in the oven.

“If Pidgeot fights like that, I don’t think Ash can lose,” Clemont said. 

“Tsk, tsk, tsk,” Alexa clicked her tongue. “Let’s not get too ahead, shall we? Remember, this is not a gym battle.” Her eyes crinkled at the corners. “It’s much more than that.”

Serena’s face tightened at those words. Her dismay just turned into fear, not because Ash might lose the battle, but more so, what might happen to him. From what she knows, and seen of him, it wouldn’t be ridiculous to assume he’d do something rash again if his Pokémon was in trouble. She couldn’t say what he would do or how, she just knew he would. In addition, going by Alexa’s words and how Viola toyed with Froakie, it was evident that Viola would stop at nothing in her quest to defeat Ash. If worse comes to worst, Serena should be ready to fight to stop the battle. Even if Ash will detest her for that, she couldn’t take a chance.

“Pika?” Pikachu looked at her, his ears perked up.

“Nothing, Pikachu.” She forced a gentle smile at him. “Let’s watch the battle, shall we?”

“Pi.”

* * *

“Deemed as a bug typist, I’ve fought quite the number of flying types over the years,” Viola said, returning Surskit into her Pokéball. “And yours is undoubtedly one of the finest, Ash.”

“Thanks.” Ash flicked his nose with his thumb. “Pidgeot’s one of my best.”

Fluttering her wings, his royal bird landed before him. Her claws cracked through the ice as she steadied herself. Her overgrown body, towering a few feet over Ash cast a dull shadow on him, engulfing most of the trainer box he was in. She tossed her head up and wiggled it. Her golden mane streaming from her crest waved like a flag. The blazing light shafting through the hole in the ceiling bounced off her glossy body. Her skin glittered.

“I’d like to see her win, but… too bad.” Viola pulled out another Pokéball. “This one will show you what real composition is.” She tossed the spherical contraption.

 _Here we go._ Ash tensed his muscles.

The Pokéball moved in an arc and burst open in mid-air. A red light flashed and quickly withdrew, leaving a white fist-sized orb in its wake. The orb dropped on the icy terrain with a plop and then—it flattened. Rings of white smoke rippled out of it.

Ash quickly masked his nose with his jacket’s front panel. He had learnt enough from Team Rocket’s ambushes that the action was instinctive. The rings drifted effortlessly over the blue-tinted field, slowly turning it pearly.

The smoke, in its fluid form, feigned. It feigned airy tentacles creeping up the chest-length walls. It feigned vaporous braids, surging and congregating into dappled clouds under the ceiling; the incoming light softened. It even feigned a snaky sneak into Ash’s trainer box, slithering through the rectangular grills, and coiling his legs in wispy curls.

Pidgeot rotated her head towards him; her eyes wide. Ash nodded at her; his eyes sharp. She then zoomed into the air, muddling the smoke near him. In mere seconds, she disappeared into the clouds above.

The smoke, which invaded the whole arena at an astonishing pace, had stopped moving. It was now a foggy thicket, cloaking everything within eyesight. Apart from a few distant outlines of tree crowns, Ash saw nothing. The boxes of the referee and the Gym Leader, the five-seater dugout where his friends sat, and the humungous walls of the arena—the smoke cloaked everything. The atmosphere was like a gas chamber. Surprisingly, despite the smoke’s creamy thickness and unbearable volume, his eyes didn’t burn. _That’s not how smoke behaved_ , Ash thought curiously. Team Rocket’s smoke bombs never failed to burn his eyes. Make them red and watery. He lowered his jacket, taking a break from the sweaty stench it reeked. He took a whiff of his surroundings. His brows furrowed. That couldn’t be smoke. Nope, no chance. It didn’t seem like it in the faintest bit. It was more like _mist_ , if he had to name it. The thickest he’s ever seen. It was tasteless and odourless, and if not for its tingling coldness, it was even senseless.

Flapping sounds came from above. The stagnant _smoke-turned-mist_ gained mild disturbances. Ash’s lips curled. Pidgeot would clear this in no time. He waited, watching the _mist_ stir. _Anytime now,_ he thought. And then, his face dropped. There was no more stirring, and the wind bursts from above got fainter and fainter. It was as if the mist fought back. Ash frowned. He better order for an attack.

“Pidgeot! Hurricane!” he hollered. Three echoes of his own voice returned, each softer than its predecessor, but the Hurricane never came.

“Pidgeot!” he hollered again, louder. The echoes were louder, too, and he almost caught a fourth one this time. But again, the Hurricane never came.

Ash’s heart raced. Negative thoughts flooded his mind. Pidgeot had the best hearing among all of his Pokémon. She could pick up sounds of leaves crunching even from hundreds of meters away, yet she didn’t answer his throat-aching screams? That’s impossible. She couldn’t be in some trouble, could she?

His gaze darted left and right. There was mist all around. His limbs, his head, his body—all swallowed by it. He was sunk deep in a silky ghost-like underwater. “Viola!” his yell pierced through the mist, and yet again, there was no answer. Clearly something was wrong. “Hey, ref—”

Doors banged shut. Ash flinched. His head snapped towards the sound. There was nothing but mist. His racing heart hammered like a blacksmith pounding an anvil. Then, the temperature dropped noticeably. His fingers started to twitch.

Abruptly, motorized sounds rumbled from above. Sounds like Professor Oak’s garage shutter made—old and rusty—irritating to the ears. He glanced up: mist again. It was all there was and all he could see, but he kept looking, eager and desperate to find something. And then, in a moment, he saw them: shadows. Two fine murky lines at the far ends of his eyes, and as he watched, they converged, cutting the light as they moved. _Darn it! Not the light too._ His jaw clenched.

“Viola…! Pidgeot…! Somebody…!” It was useless. Echoes were the only response he got. Even his friends didn’t utter a sound, and that was the most frightening part. A pang of fear jolted through him. He fought down his pestering urge to run and bolt. _This could all be only an illusion,_ he told himself, but doubted how much of that he actually believed.

He closed his eyes, and took deep controlled breaths and puffed them out the way his old man (Gold) had taught him. Meditation invariably calmed him down. He began to count each breath in reverse, starting from ten, gradually feeling his heart simmer down as he reached to one. He then opened his eyes and forced his gaze up. Dust particles and paint flakes floated in the mist. The two murky lines from before were now stark and gigantic, like nimbus clouds which brought the year’s heaviest downpour. They travelled towards each other, eclipsing the incoming light, at a hurried pace. Only a brief column remained in between. It wouldn’t be long before that dwindles too.

Ash rubbed his cold hands together and tucked them in his jacket pockets. He watched the shadows wolf the light like starving gluttons. The light column became a light ribbon, and the ribbon became a streak, thread-like. And then, metals clanged. The light died out. Ash was left blind and vulnerable.

A sullen silence loomed in the air, and Ash could hear his breath rasping. His hands involuntarily acted on their own, groping around for the railing to grip on. His nail clinked the metal. He found it. And when he clamped his fingers around the cold bar, an eerie peal of laughter rang out. His hands jerked back. His neck hairs bristled. What was that?

Whirring sounds came from nearby. Ash swallowed. All this was starting to scare him a bit. He was reminded of the various haunted houses he had the misfortune of visiting during his travels. The mist, the cold, the sounds, the darkness, the laughter—all were spookily similar. He couldn’t help but relive those spine-chilling memories, and that hammered his heart again, louder this time. So much so that it could possibly be heard from a mile away. He wanted this to end soon. He came here for a battle, not for an amusement ride through a haunted mansion.

A moment passed, and warm pools of light sputtered to life within the battlefield, one after the other. By the way it looked, they were possibly lined along the fence walls. Ash released his held breath. That was better. Much better than nothing. He at least had his vision back now, though it made no difference to the waxing cold around, or the grim darkness beyond. Those two remained, utterly, dictatorial.

The laughter rang again, echoing throughout the cavernous airspace, but this time Ash stood hardy. 

A blurry silhouette in a flowing gown appeared in the wintry mist, levitating. Ash weirdly thought it resembled the ghost of a maiden mercilessly killed on her wedding day. Two amethyst lights, which had to be eyes, gleamed in it. Just by looking at them, Ash felt drugged, and he saw ghoulish images of an apocalypse flash before him: stacks of pale skeletal faces covered in fresh soot, toys abandoned by their perished owners, charred papers from notebooks flying aimlessly like chucked chocolate wrappers, ravaged cities, demolished buildings, cracked open roads, and finally, a diaper burning desolately on a sidewalk with the last remains of flesh left in it. Ash’s gut wrenched and a pit formed in his stomach.

A delicate breeze then brushed his chapped lips. The cracks in them ached like they were being ripped apart. The mist then began to move, circulate, and whoosh into the silhouette’s gown. Its hem billowed violently.

Slowly, the mist got sucked in totally. The lights on the wall rims brightened. And the Pokémon revealed itself. Two blunt horns of ice. A white cloak over a hollow body. A mask for a head whose sides branched into broad hands. It grinned perversely eyeing Ash, like a sadistic serial killer eying at a victim.

“Meet Froslass, my photography partner.” Viola bumped her hip to one side and threw a hand on it. The bulbs along the walls cast a warm glint on her slender body. “Liked her entrance?” She smiled with no humour, but Ash found it oddly comforting. He wasn’t alone anymore. His friends were in their seats, looking at him bewilderedly. Pidgeot was aloft in the air, flapping her wings to stay put. Everything was back to normal. Ash felt relieved. _Well, what’dya know. It really was an illusion after all._

Froslass pecked her palm and blew a flying kiss at him. A stinging rush of cold swept over Ash, and instantly, the air around him burned. His knees crumpled and he found it difficult to even breathe. Heaving labouredly, he fumbled for his smartphone with numb fingers. He pointed it at Froslass.

The Dexter spoke: “Froslass, the Snow Land Pokémon. Ice-Ghost type; female.

“It freezes its foe with an ice breath of nearly -60 degrees F. What seems to be its body is hollow. Legends say that women lost in icy mountains are reborn as Froslass.”

Ash gulped hard, replaying what Dexter had just said in the back of his mind. He heard Pidgeot making distressing grunts from above. The grunts he heard her make when she was against an opponent way out of her league. With his quivering hand, he wiped the frost accumulated on his brow, and stared at Froslass warily. Her eyes were abysmal and her gaze was charnel. With each second that he stared into them, his head spun. He felt his soul depart into her, like she clawed into him and stole the very thing that she lacked. He shook his head and realized what he was up against: a strong opponent, perhaps even stronger than any of the Pokémon on Assumption Island, and Pidgeot’s grunts attested to that. Just then, a thought struck him: “Hey, Viola. Aren’t you a bug typist?”

“Peh. Did you really believe that a trainer can stick to a single type forever?” She crossed her arms. “Trash! Most Gym Leaders’ strongest Pokémon aren’t even their specialized type. We take that tag only to comply with League rules.” She then smirked devilishly. “But, if you didn’t know, none of their rules apply to you Gold Classes.”

Ash’s fingernails dug into his palms. So his promotion snatched away every edge he had had? And from now on Gym Leaders could choose to do whatever they felt like? That… that… that… was awesome! His eyes lit up. Exactly what he has been craving for all his life. He’s sick and tired of Gym Leader downplaying their game simply because he was inexperienced, and perhaps even to comply with the rules, but not anymore. Now he’d get to face the best of the best. No strings attached. He wanted that, no, needed that. His insides squealed in joy. This was it. His first step towards his dream, an inch closer to his destiny. His lips stretched into a wide grin.

“Uh?” Viola cocked her head. “Aren’t you the tiniest bit scared?”

“Nope! The stronger the opponents we face, the more we get fired up and psyched.” Ash flicked a glance at his bird. “Isn’t that right, Pidgeot?”

Pidgeot blasted a gust of wind, proclaiming her tenacity. Ash could feel the energy radiate from her. She was fired up too. A battle against such intensely trained Pokémon was completely different from the wild beasts in Assumption Island. There it took passion; here it will take brains with passion. And they were ready for both.

“You’re a strange one, Ash. Never seen one like you before.” Viola chuckled. “Anyway, let’s begin.” She turned to the referee. “Britney?”

“Wait a minute,” Ash voiced. 

“What is it?” Viola asked.

“You haven’t told me why you cut the lights out,” Ash said. “Can’t we fight in the light?”

“Why? You scared?” Viola’s brow arched.

“Nope. Just curious.”

“Hmm.” Viola nodded. “You said you wanted me at my best, didn’t you?”

“Huh?” Ash tipped his head. “That I did, but what’s that got to do with this?”

“Everything. Froslass is at her best in the dark.”

Ash nodded, satisfied with the answer.

“Now. Britney?”

“Yes.” Britney raised her flags. “Battle begin!” She flicked them down.

“Pidgeot, get moving. Stay away from Froslass.”

Pidgeot swished in the air; her aerial mobility her only lifeline.

“Really?” Viola scoffed. “Froslass, Hail.”

Ash smacked his fist into the railing. There goes the advantage.

Fluffy clouds gathered under the closed ceiling. Haze covered the battered ice field. Ice pellets of various sizes pattered the ground rhythmically. A few struck Ash, a few struck Viola, and a few struck Britney. But it was Pidgeot who suffered the brunt, wincing at each hit as if it weren’t ice but flaming coal that pelted her.

She raced laps in the air, trying to manoeuver away from the onslaught; but it hailed everywhere. Struck everyone, save the spectators who were shielded by the roof slat over the dugout.

Viola spun on her heel, and punched the air. “Blizzard!”

“Get out of there!” Ash swept his hand.

Rocky winds howled, bitter and chilly, grating Ash’s skin like it was tender cheese. He sunk to his knees, shivering and covering. Even his triple-layered clothing couldn’t protect him. The cold licked at his face, crept through his jacket sleeves, and wicked away his body heat faster than it was replaced. His exposed fingers turned stony, rigid and lifeless. He never thought wearing fingerless gloves could hurt, but now, it did.

Snow showered on his head. Snow danced into his box. Snow slipped down his jacket. There was snow everywhere. It crowded around Ash in cottony piles, and hailstones fell on them randomly. They appeared like little mounts of snowmen with derisive faces, gloating in pleasure at his sour suffering. It annoyed Ash. He wanted to strangle them, mess them up, and obliterate them, but he didn’t. _It was snow,_ he reminded himself, repeatedly, _just snow._

With chattering teeth, he rubbed his fingers together. They slid past one another. Could they be anymore frozen? He grunted; then rolled his fingers into fists, groaning as his knuckles cracked like brittle bones. He unrolled them, groaning again. It pained. It pained like a machete plunged on them. Each sound of a crack was like a finger being chopped off. But it was nothing. Perhaps, given a choice, he’d even choose the plunge over this cold. It was so excruciating.

With great difficulty, he pulled his jacket’s hanging zipper up, till it met its metal stop. He slumped his quivering chin into his collar’s cavity, interlocked his swollen purple fingers, suffocated them between his thighs, and curled into himself like a question mark. Then, with an earnest desire to combat this cold, he began to play warm thoughts in his mind: A leisure stroll on the beach, barefooted, on a sunny summer afternoon. The blazing sand grains searing his soles, oddly gratifying. _It’s freezing in here._ The refreshing sweat his body leaked when reclined back in a steaming hot spring. _My skin can’t feel a thing._ The hot vapours from a mug of piping coffee moistening his nose hairs. _When will this cold end?_ The heat of his body during an intense training session. _My lips feel like rocks._ And during the night, the homely warmth when cuddled up with his Pokémon. _The cold is…_ His eyes popped wide. His Pokémon! Pidgeot! His mind went berserk, restless. If Blizzard did this to him then what about her? She’s a flying type after all. Forgetting all about the cold, he tried to catch her sounds. Any sounds. Anything. Just a hint of proof that she was okay. But his ears buzzed. And the winds howled like Mightyenas on a full moon night. He heard nothing.

Frightened and apprehensive, Ash started to calculate all the circumstances Pidgeot might be in. None seemed pleasant. They were much, much agonizing that the cold in itself. His head grew heavy and he began to lose sense of time. Was it seconds, or has it been minutes already? Heck, it could’ve even been hours, and he wouldn’t be able to tell.

Gradually—though it felt like an eternity—the winds receded, and eventually, they subsided; and so did the knifing sensation on Ash’s skin, but what remained was the restlessness in his heart. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to find out what condition his bird was in.

Reluctantly, he raised his head above the railing. Whiteness filled his vision. The battlefield’s ice cap had thickened. Puffs of snow stacked on the fence wall and the bulbs on it. The dim light had dwindled to dimmer. Nearly every leaf in his view (whatever he could see in that darkness) was frozen; icicles outlined their blades. A stink of stale-ice replaced the tropical scent of vegetation. Yes, the ice stunk, stale like the smell of air released from an unused refrigerator. His eyes then fetched for his Pokémon. He found her. Found her helplessly shuddering in a corner, her wings frozen by frost. Ash gritted his teeth. Exactly what he was afraid of. One more of that attack and he couldn’t be sure if Pidgeot could continue. He rose to his feet, his knees trembling. It was still cold but _warmer cold_.

“Picture perfect, ain’t it?” Viola smirked. Her Froslass had the same smirk, mocking and belittling. “I won’t judge if you forfeit. A photographer should know when the settings won’t work. A trainer should know when to give up.”

Ash glared at them. He noticed his friends’ and Pikachu’s worried expressions, and Alexa’s sarcastic chuckle. He neglected them and turned to his distressed Pokémon. “Can you still continue, Pidgeot?” he asked in concern.

“Y-y-ye-yes,” Pidgeot groaned in a hoarse voice.

Another hailstone pelted her. She winced, and that churned Ash’s stomach. He nearly considered forfeiting. Perhaps he was still inexperienced; perhaps he was still weak; perhaps he was way out of this league; but then, just then, he noticed, Pidgeot’s frozen body glow. The glistening frost around her was almost gone. The Hail pummelling on her was melting flickeringly with a hissing sound. The ice beneath her cratered. Water dripped down her in streams, pooling in that deepening crater. She was using Heat Wave on herself.

Ash chuckled to himself. She wasn’t giving up, and so wasn’t he. The battle was far from over. 

“Your Pidgeot’s got some moves,” Viola said. “What a pity though. Froslass, Blizzard, again.” She jabbed a fist. “End her this time.”

“Oh, Yeah? There’s no way you’re winning this.” Ash thrust his open palm out. “Pidgeot, let’s show them what we got. Blow it back with Hurricane.”

Pidgeot rose fearlessly. A robust wing flap. The thawed water flung off her feathers. She swished into the air in a snap, and flailed her wings. A Hurricane stormed at the incoming squall.

Gusty wind vortex clashed with frosty wind currents. 

Hurricane forced forward; Blizzard retreated.

Blizzard pushed ahead; Hurricane fell back.

Both attacks brawled with each other, and the chain continued. Neither faltered nor submitted. 

“Keep it up, Pidgeot. You can do this!”

“Don’t let them win,” Viola yelled.

Two boisterous cries. The attacks bolstered, and consumed the entire area.

The Hurricane’s gales, rugged like cheap jute ropes whipped Ash’s face. His skin welted. The force was shoving him behind. His cap flew off, and his hair roared like wildfire. He gritted his teeth. His cheeks fluttered, saliva sputtering out of his mouth. He jammed his legs between the box’s grills, clamped his arms around it, and held his ground. “P-Pidgeot… d-don’t give up-p.”

A violent screech, and an even violent wing flap. Hurricane cleaved through Blizzard and rammed into Froslass.

“Now, Heat Wave!”

Pidgeot jerked her wings and blasted scorching radiation at her foe. Froslass collapsed down and screamed in pain, the Heat Wave sinking into her icy body.

The spreading heat melted the ice. The battlefield’s glacial mass thinned unevenly. Water streamed and puddled into the random depressions. Just then, the clouds cleared out. The Hail ended.

“Quick, Double Team,” Viola ordered. 

Wincing on her back, Froslass multiplied herself into dozens of copies. The copies scampered across the arena, concealing the real one.

Pidgeot turned her head at Ash, a sardonic glint in her eyes.

Ash grinned. “Air Slash.”

Pidgeot nodded. She soared up, heaved herself, and launched compressed air currents. Her attack cut through the copies and struck the real one hovering at the edge of the battlefield. Froslass crashed into the wall.

“Way to go, Pidgeot!” Ash cried.

“Keen Eye.” Viola snorted.

“Got that right,” Ash said. “What’dya say? Who needs to forfeit now?”

Viola scoffed. “You know what, Ash? A good photographer always calculates for the worst light.”

“Huh?” Ash tipped his head. “What does _that_ mean?”

“Why don’t I just show you? Froslass, set the equipment up.”

Froslass rose. There were burn mark all over her mask, and scratches all over her pristine cloak. She scowled at Pidgeot menacingly and used Double Team again.

Pidgeot barraged Air Slashes at the copies, but her attacks simply passed through their ghastly bodies. Even with her ability, none struck.

The copies scurried and formed concentric circles in chains. They held each other’s hands like they assembled for a voodoo ceremony. Then, they sang in an obnoxious harmony, chanting words Ash couldn’t interpret. 

Pidgeot didn’t let up though. She continued to assail Air Slashes at the copies, but her attempts were rendered vain. It was as if the real Froslass mysteriously vanished from there.

The Froslass-es’ voices grew louder. Winds started to blow. White orbs sprouted in the spatula-like hands of all the copies. The light from them was dazzling. Ash shielded his eyes against his jacket sleeve’s denim folds.

There was again a drop in the temperature, but it was negligible compared to the glacial abuse before. In a moment or two, crackling sounds joined the warbling sounds. Ash somewhat recognized those crackles. They sounded similar to when his Wartortle used Ice Beam to construct a flamboyant dais for Totodile’s last performance at Assumption Island. He wondered if Froslass was using Ice Beam too.

About a minute had passed, and the sounds ebbed. Ash peeked a little with squinted eyes: blurry whiteness. The stale smell of ice wafted again. He opened his eyes hesitantly. The battlefield seemed to sparkle. He shot a confused glance at Pidgeot soaring in the air. She rolled her head sharing the same confused look.

“Lost your composure, Ash?” Viola landed a hand on her hip.

“You got me, all right? What is all this?” Ash’s eyes swept across the giant rectangular ice columns Froslass had erected all over the field. They were at least fifteen of them, towering several feet high. Their bodies were multi-faceted, almost jewel-like. Each surface resembled a glassy mirror, reflecting the lucent light from the bulbs, increasing the area’s overall brightness. Pointed spikes branched out of the columns’ peaks like royal crowns. It was quite fanciful. If it were an ice museum, Ash would’ve thoroughly appreciated the craft. 

“It does look good, I’ll give you that,” Ash said. Even their positioning was fanciful. If Viola and he were giants, the field could’ve easily served them as a chessboard. The ice terrain with the random water puddles—the board, and the columns—the pieces. While Ash had his pieces scattered all over, launching a full-scale attack, Viola worked a more defensive strategy, moving only her pawns and wingers, holding her major powers at standby.

“Watch and learn,” Viola said. “Froslass!”

Like the wary king of the politic game, the icy ghost hovered back and took shelter behind the central vanguards on Viola’s end of the field.

Ash’s lips twisted faintly. They could try all their tricks, but they’d only work if the attacks hit. The Hail was gone, and Pidgeot was fast, very fast. “You never learnt your own advice, have you?”

“Cocky, huh?” Viola’s eyebrow curved. “Let’s see how far that takes you.”

“All the way towards victory. Pidgeot, bring her out with Air Slash.”

Fluttering her wings, Pidgeot launched discs of air at the glassy columns. A few parts dented, and a few chunks whittled, but none connected her foe. Froslass scuttled, dodging them like a frisky rodent in a maze.

“Keep it up, Pidgeot. We’ll get her at least once.”

Pidgeot swooshed ahead, blasting Air Slash after Air Slash. The columns fissured and ice continued to chip off their edges; but again, Froslass managed to dodge all attacks.

“Ice Beam,” Viola called.

Time for some physical attacks. “Steel Wing! Cut right through it!”

Pidgeot spun on her beak. Her chromium wings minced through the sparkling beam; ice fragments flung in all directions. And as she drove forward, Viola snapped her fingers.

_Flash!_

Pidgeot flinched. Ice Beam engulfed her.

“Pidgeot!”

The beam got stronger and bulkier, glaciating Pidgeot. When it ceased, a large chunk of ice was wrapped around her. She gravitated. Fell on a column. Its pointed spike shattered the ice and pierced into her body. Pidgeot tumbled, scraping against the column’s rough edges.

“That was a cheap shot!” Ash roared at Viola.

“How’dya claim that?” Viola took a wide stance. Only her face was visible through the cramped gaps between the columns. “Flash is a legitimate move. Is it not?”

Ash gritted his teeth, realizing how he waltzed right into her trap. He cast a glance at his fallen Pokémon. She lay shivering between two ice columns with raw gashes on her body. Blood tainted ice shards and feathers scattered around her.

Ash’s grip on the railing tightened. He should have seen it coming. The decoy of the columns. Viola’s confidence. Froslass’s stealthy movements. _All. All of them. Each one of… wait a minute._ His brows knitted closer. There was no way Flash should’ve worked. Pidgeot had Keen Eye. So how? He raised his head. There was a smirk on Viola’s face. He looked around. Froslass was working on the damaged columns, meticulously crafting them back to shape. Not an inch seemed different.

It’s slowly starting to make sense to Ash. Those columns. They must’ve reflected Flash. Converged it into a single strong beam. The darkness. It must’ve made the light abrupt. Threw Pidgeot off. At that much intensity, no ability could’ve protected her. Yes. Viola calculated for everything beforehand. Even before the match began. Even before she knew Pidgeot’s ability. She outsmarted him, again. He shook his head, impressed. “That was a good move, Viola.”

“Oh? So you figured it out.” Viola cocked her head. “Good for you.”

“We’ll beat it too.” Ash swung his arms. He looked at Pidgeot. She had warmed herself up using Heat Wave. She stood, her talons clawing into the ice sheet. Blood streaked from the gashes on her body. She shook her head, eyes ignited in wrath. She too didn’t like that low blow. Flapping her wings, his flying type screeched her declaration of vengeance, and shot into the air. “Pidgeot, keep up your speed. Don’t let Froslass spot you.”

Ash’s Kanto bird swooshed around the arena; her body nearly invisible at her supersonic speed.

“No use,” Viola said. “Flash, and Ice Beam.”

_Flash!_

Pidgeot flinched again. Ice Beam shot at her. It connected, and she dropped down; but luckily, she pulled herself up before falling into another spike.

Ash released a breath in relief. 

“Froslass has mastered this technique, Ash,” Viola said. “Every spot in here is covered. There is no way around it, unless… your Pidgeot is faster than light itself.”

Swishing around, Pidgeot fired her Air Slashes. Froslass evaded them with ease, and the columns remained intact. But she refused to give in and carried on with her assault.

Ash frowned at the columns. Air Slash was too weak to destroy them. Getting close was not an option. Flash would blind her. Blind her bad. _That’s it! Blind her,_ an idea struck his mind. He smirked. “Viola, if there is no way around your strategy then you’d have gotten your flag status long ago. How many times did they reject you again?”

“You snobby little fuck. How dare—”

“Ahem, ahem. Gym Leader, you get your first warning for profanity.”

“Shut up, Britney.” Viola stomped her foot. “This isn’t an official battle.” She scowled at Ash, grinding her teeth. “Come at me, you runt. I’ll whoop your ass six ways from Sunday.”

Ash grinned. Viola was right where he wanted. “Pidgeot, Extreme Speed into Froslass.”

“Pff, Froslass is a ghost type.” Viola scoffed, not bothering to call a counter. “Didn’t your _almighty gold license_ come with a basic handbook?”

“Nope, it came with a message: watch where your mouth goes or you’ll have to bite your own words,” Ash ridiculed as he watched Pidgeot get closer. “Now follow up with Steel Wing on those columns.”

Viola’s face turned pallid. “Quick, Flash!”

“Too late. Shut your eyes and stay close to the columns!”

Flash failed. Pidgeot rammed her wings into the columns with blind eyes. _Crack! Crack! Crack!_ The columns began to fracture.

Viola gritted her teeth. “Ice Beam, now!”

“Spin on your beak and keep using Steel Wing.”

Froslass shot her Ice Beams. With her acrobatic movements, blindly spinning like a drill, Pidgeot aimlessly bashed her silvery wings into the columns, cleaved through the beams, and bashed into the columns again.

 _Bam! Bam! Bam!_ One by one the columns collapsed. _Bam! Bam! Bam!_ Each tumbled over the other like disturbed domino chips.

“Let’s go, Pidgeot!” Ash punched the air.

Pidgeot opened her eyes, and charged straight at Froslass. Her face was bitter with rage.

Viola frowned. “Wait for it.”

Pidgeot got closer. Viola snapped her fingers. “Fling.”

“No!” Ash’s breath burst in.

Froslass crouched her head, grabbed one of Pidgeot’s talons, spun her in circles, and using that momentum, flung her into oblivion. Pidgeot crashed into a frozen tree. Icicles broke down from the leaves and fell on her.

With a devious grin, Froslass then followed up with a brutal Ice Beam, her strongest and most powerful yet. An enormous chunk of ice cemented Pidgeot to that tree.

“Pidgeot!”

“Finish her with Hyper Beam.” Viola roared gutturally.

Ash paled. “Get out of there!”

* * *

Needles. Nimble-sharp, tapered down to the thickness of an atom. Needles. Hundreds of them, painstakingly lanced their girth into her body. Needles. Evil and haunting, brought along a raw quality of pain that knew no end nor limit.

She often prized herself in ignoring pain, like a lifeless rock, numb and stoic to any superficial force, proceeding forward with detached senses. That seemed impossible anymore. Conscious forced itself into the rock in her, giving birth to one and only one sense: pain—excruciating that too.

Her vision was black, like the very state of her own mind, stuck in a deep abyss, decorated by sickness and suffering. There seemed to be no hope, yet she clung on to a lull of it. Hope that she could endure this long enough. See it through.

There was a fleck of light in the distance, a tiny dot, a guide to her escape. Her hope strengthened. The light expanded, swelled like an inflating balloon, then moulded into something strange. Mysteriously shapeless like running water, only it was red, not colourless. Four limbs and one head jutted out. Two orbed eyes popped out. Cuneate fangs pierced out. Her mind instantly recognized it. It was Pain, the mortal form of it. It took a step closer, bent lower, grinned wider, and then jeered at her. Acid-dipped knives stabbed into her.

Jeering and jeering, Pain then materialized a cylindrical vial in hand. Dangled it. Blue liquid swashed in it. Serenity radiated from it. She could feel it, taste and smell it even, just couldn’t touch it. She knew that was the cure. The acclaimed elixir. The end to all her torment. She wanted it. Wanted it badly. So badly that she could kill for it.

She crawled forward, not knowing how; dragged her body through the empty space, she did not understand what. Her body pained like there were blisters all over, and then some gravelly surface ruptured those blood-pus pockets. Her tongue was a desert, her lungs were scrunched sponges, and the only water bled down her beak in threads of spittle. Her throat choked. She could pass out at any moment, but she wouldn’t. She would fight it. One step at a time. Just like her trainer taught her: ‘never to give up at any time.’

Decades seemed to have passed. She held onto her last breath, and fell at Pain’s shapeless feet. One step done. She then raised her head, achingly; her eyes dead set on the vial, eagerly. She pushed herself up on her spasming wings. The vial was almost in her beak. She could hear the bubbles fizz. _One last push,_ she told herself, and then threw herself up carelessly. Her beak clinked against the vial’s dull glass. There was happiness in her eyes. She opened her beak to take a bite. Done. Her last step. She’d be free of this torture. She could battle agai… the vial slipped from Pain’s hand. The glass shattered. The elixir vaporized like gas, and so did her lull of hope. She looked at Pain with raging eyes. Its jeer widened. And only then she realized, it was all a sadistic rhetoric.

She dropped down with a thud.

Her breath conceded.

It was all over.

She lost.

 _“…Pidgeot…”_ a voice rang in her head, a direction to follow, a pledge towards paradise.

It was Ash. The battle held his pride at stake. Not just his, hers too—her growth. The blood, sweat, and tears she had invested at Assumption Island. The crusades she waged against the dragons there. If a mere Gym Leader could take her down, her struggles would mean nothing, and she didn’t deserve a spot in Ash’s team, just like how she didn’t deserve that elixir. Darn it! It hurt to even think.

 _“…get out…of…there…”_ the voice rang again. _“…you can do this! Get up…”_

His never give up attitude, his will to persevere in the gravest of situations, and that grin he carried even in the gravest situations. He was such an ideal person. A defeated breath escaped her nostrils. _I’m sorry, Ash. I’m so, so sorry. I can’t. I just can’t._ Her brain leaked tears.

“You can,” said a hoarse voice. “Remember why,” it said again, and then faded. 

Why? A question which answered every problem in life. Why should she get up? Why? It was simple: for Ash. Everything she did was for him. Ash. The gentle heart who cared for her like his own family. He gave her the respect she deserved and the love she was entitled to. He gave her a home, gave her friends, gave her everything she could ever want. Never a hiccup in his kindness. Never.

Vivid memories they shared together flashed before her. From their first meeting in the Viridian forest to their ardent training at Assumption Island. The time they spent together. The time they spent apart. Every memory came back to her like a reinvigorating time-lapse.

A tiny ruckle escaped from her beak, a shiny chuckle at those bitter-sweets.

This was for him. Only him.

A spurring fervour seeped into her soul, a prodigious power which blessed her with uncanny strength. It had an Ash-like warmth and a heavenly feel to it. Her blackened vision became white, pure and pristine. Pain’s reddish form was now blue. Its jeer was now a hearty smile, and there was compassion in its eyes. It peeled its mask off. A brilliant light blazed. It wasn’t Pain as she thought. It was Bond. The bond she shared with Ash. It smiled and gave her a nod, then disappeared.

Pidgeot glowed. Her scratches and bruises were gone. She could stand again. The aches in her body vanished, or perhaps she developed a slave’s tolerance to it, like pain was just a birth defect, and she lived in its backyard her whole life.

And then, she was out of that abyss.

Her senses returned. Her shut eyelids sensed something bright and hot. Something dangerous, ready to destroy her.

Her muscles flexed. Heat surged within her. The ice encasing her began to melt at a lightning pace.

Her ears twitched. They registered a flap of Bonnie eyelashes. The sound was ploppy, like they were drenched in water. 

“PIDGEOT!”

 _I will fight._ Her ice shackles broke. _I will fight._ Her nerves electrified. _I will fight. Till I collapse._

Her eyes shot open.

_Boom!_

The earth quaked. Agitated tree fragments and heaved ice chunks rushed into the vacuum the blast created. The shutters from the ceiling rattled. The trainer boxes rumbled. The seats in the dugout jumped like they had a mind of their own. Smoke and dust erupted and filled up the arena. Everyone coughed, ducked, held onto something secure. Several vents opened up in the walls. Exhaust fans whirred, sucking in the smoke.

 _“Missed me?”_ Pidgeot sent a message to Ash through the mysterious link forged by their bond. She only heard stories of this from Pikachu and Charizard, and now she’s experiencing it, for the first time.

 _“Pidgeot!”_ Ash’s excited voice echoed in her head. _“I knew you’d escape.”_

Pidgeot twisted her beak, gliding high up, away from anybody’s view. _“Had second thoughts?”_

_“Nope, not once.”_

In darkness and the gradually clearing smoke and dust, Viola could be seen grinning, victoriously. She thought she won. Pidgeot smirked at her. She would show her what winning was. _“Shall we get on to finishing this thing, then?”_

 _“Yup, now’s the chance,”_ Ash said. _“Steel Wing!”_

Pidgeot vanished, like she teleported.

_Swish!_

_Swish!_

_Swish!_

Three feral strikes; three flashes of silvery lights.

The dust and smoke had nearly cleared out, only a little remained, predominantly over the battlefield. Ash’s friends had worried expressions, and Viola’s grin turned into a smirk. “Britney, make the call. The battle’s over.” 

“H-hold on, Britney.” Ash breathed heavily, smiling. “We can wait, can’t we?”

Viola shot a suspicious glance at Ash. Then nodded at Britney.

Soon, the exhaust fans sucked in the last drafts of smoke. Destroyed trees and concrete clustered on either side of a cleared path. It led from the battlefield’s centre to the end of the arena’s wall. There was a massive char on it. On the battlefield, which was now muddy terrain with shallow water puddles and broken ice chunks, Froslass lay fallen, wincing and growling at the soaring Pidgeot.

“Impossible!” Viola cried.

“Yippee!” Bonnie jumped, back into her barbaric mode. “Pidgeot is awesome!”

Pidgeot’s eyes gleamed at the compliment.

“What’dya know, the battle’s still on,” Ash huffed, gripping the railing for support.

Viola balled her fists. “You…”

_“Froslass needs time to recover.”_

_“Got it.”_ Pidgeot clapped her wings, waves of scorching heat radiated from her.

“Froslass, move, to the trees!” Viola commanded.

The ice-ghost type tried to lift herself, but flinched from the Hyper Beam’s after-effect, and fell back. She screamed in pain as the Heat Wave did a number on her. The leftover ice chunks thawed out, adding more water to the muddy pools.

“Don’t waste time. Finish her with Sky Attack!”

Pidgeot dashed a lap in the air, accelerating; her speed was faster than ever.

She dashed another lap.

Then another.

And another.

A zipping sound sizzled as she passed by the tress. Their branches and leaves clipped with each circuit. An azure cocoon outlined her frame; charged air currents circulated in it.

_“Now, Pidgeot!”_

In a funnelling trajectory, Pidgeot drilled forward, spinning on her beak. Her body glowed blue. Her motion stirred the air into a frenzied tornado. Froslass was panting, still immobile. Pidgeot drilled, drilled, and drilled, and then, wrecked into Froslass with a loud blast.

“All right!” Ash punched the air. Celebratory cheers joined him from the side-lines.

Pidgeot, drained and exhausted, landed on the mud with a flap of her wings. She panted, sweat leaking from her crest. She cracked her head left and right, her eyes anchored on the billowing smoke from Froslass.

Viola clapped softly. “You’re a good team, Ash. I’ll give you that. But…” her nose took a scornful tilt. “Is that enough?”

“Nope.” Ash exhaled tiredly, a winning grin on his face. “I’d never underestimate you again. I know she’s not out.”

“Correct.” Viola thrust her chest out. “Froslass!”

An evil cry howled through the smoke. Pidgeot’s face tightened. Froslass slowly rose from the crater under it. Cold gases vented out of her paranormal body. Her cloak fluttered violently. The smoke quickly cleared out, revealing her bowed head, scratches and bruises all over her mask. She snapped her head up, her eyes bloody.

Pidgeot crouched, exhaling breath clouds through her nostrils. She will take her down.

“Froslass, no more chances; to the trees.”

Froslass dropped her scowl and disappeared into the mini forest on the other side of the destroyed path. Pidgeot’s eyes followed her tracks.

“Viola, I’ve learned a lot from you today,” Ash said, his voice weaker than usual. “But it’s time you learn something from me,” he breathed out. “Pidgeot, kill the lights.”

Pidgeot slapped a wing, then the other. Two slashes of air, two destructive air blades. Shatter by shatter, the bulbs exploded in tides.

“Are you nuts?” Viola’s voice exclaimed. “How will you attack?”

“You’ll see,” Ash said. “Hurricane!”

Her eyelids closed. Her ear feathers twitched. Flailing her robust wings, she set forth savage air currents. They cycled into a turbulent Hurricane, and this time, they were much harsher and much fiercer.

* * *

The ceiling’s shutters rattled. The metal roof slat had long flown away, amassing into the Hurricane along with various debris. Clemont gripped Bonnie’s arm, ducking behind the vibrating seats, praying they wouldn’t fly off too. He could hear their bolts loosen, but he prayed anyway. His lemon hair dripped cold water on his palm. Muddy water drizzled all around. For a moment, he thought of opening his umbrella which could cover a family of ten, but he knew better than that. Serena, holding Pikachu, and Alexa, holding Helioptile, were beside him, all pressed into each other’s bodies as close as possible, as safe as possible.

“Stay down, Bonnie!” He pulled his sister back, who had attempted to sneak a glance at the battlefield as if she could see something. It was pitch black, Pidgeot had killed the last remaining light. Dedenne then jumped out of Bonnie’s clutches and slipped inside his jumpsuit. He seemed scared, perhaps more at Bonnie’s actions than Pidgeot’s Hurricane.

“Argh! The place is tearing down into pieces,” he heard Serena shout; though she was next to him, it sounded like a whisper, overpowered by the destructive sounds around: rocks and pebbles bashed against the walls, trees creaked, winds howled like horror movie openers, and there were a multitude of other sounds Clemont couldn’t even differentiate. All in all, it was loud and chaotic, as if the sky fell down and struck the earth with a mighty rage.

“We should be fine as long as we remain here,” he screamed, wiping the water off his chin with the back of his hand; and though he couldn’t see, he felt the coarse grit in it.

Suddenly, a loud bam came from above. Something struck the rattling shutters. Something big and hefty, perhaps a boulder? Clemont thought, then he heard the shutters rattle louder. A thin strip of light penetrated inside. The shutters then moved apart, rattling, and the light strip kept widening, slowly illuminating the area.

Clemont hesitantly raised his head. His glasses had mud stains all over. He quickly removed, cleaned them against his wet jumpsuit, put them back on, and peeped through the narrow gap between two chairs. Mangled twigs, branches, and even a few trees joined in the Hurricane’s pitiless gyrations. It violated every part of the arena, preying on everything available. He squinted, trying to catch sight of Ash and Viola. They held their ground with identical yet different faces. Both had their teeth clenched, but Viola had a frown while Ash had a smirk. The difference in their confidence was quite evident. His eyes skimmed across, searching for Pidgeot. He didn’t find her, but found a bluish halo-like band circling over the battlefield. That should be her, he guessed.

A deep groaning sound in the distance grabbed his attention. He turned towards it. It was Froslass. The Hurricane pinned her to the wall, the air currents battering into her body.

“Let’s go, Pidgeot!” Ash hollered.

The blue halo intensified, and a fiery vein outlined it. A second later, a white light blinded Clemont. He ducked, shut his eyes, and protected Bonnie with his body. No matter what, her safety came first. A loud blast sounded, and the ground tremored again.

He heard the Hurricane weaken, then a giant pool of water plunked from above, drenching him and his companions in muddy water. But he didn’t look up, his gaze was locked down, waiting for the whole turmoil to cease. Torn leaves and mud stuck to his face and lips; it had a pleasant earthy smell, but tasted bland like raw potatoes.

A little while passed and everything was dead silent like he was at a funeral. A sizzling sound hissed and a slight smell of burnt toast wafted in the air.

“Pika!”

Clemont flicked his head up, snooping through the same narrow gap between the chairs. Pidgeot hunched before Ash, tired and gasping, but her eyes were sharp, ready for another round. Where does she get that energy? he wondered, but to his surprise, even Ash was in a similar state.

The shutters above were half-open, and light rushed in through the ceiling wrecked in the first round. It was like the first rays of sun after a relentless storm. Clemont panned his gaze to the wall’s end. Froslass lay swirly-eyed between parched bark and seared leaves.

“F-Fro-Froslass is u-unable to battle,” said the grumpy voice of the referee, covered in mud and leaves. “Pidgeot and the challenger, Ash are the victors.”

A yellow flash appeared beside him, and the next second, Pikachu was celebrating with Ash and Pidgeot, all with cheesy grins on their faces. Serena dashed towards Ash. Bonnie escaped his grip and scuttled ahead. Dedenne jumped out of his jumpsuit and waddled behind.

“There goes my interview,” Alexa sighed and stood. “I thought my sister would win for sure.”

“Y-yeah, Froslass was tough, all right,” Clemont said, getting back on his feet, ridding the leaves and muddy blotches on his wet jumpsuit. 

“It’s a shame she lost,” Alexa said as Helioptile slithered up her back and settled around her neck. She then excused herself and moved towards her sister who was recalling her defeated Pokémon.

Clemont shook his head. His heart still pounded from all that excitement of the battle. Tons of thoughts flowed through him, but he stowed them aside for now. He had to congratulate Ash and Pidgeot first for that monumental performance they put up. He grabbed his oversized backpack beside him and trudged towards the scar-faced trainer and the applauding fans gathered around him.

* * *

An hour had passed and the group stood before the gym’s entrance, bidding farewell to the Gym Leader and her journalist sister.

“I’m sorry for all the destruction again.” Ash scratched behind his head embarrassedly, apologizing for like the third time.

“That’s cool, Ash. The battle was worth it,” Viola said. “Anyways, have you decided which flag you’re going after first?”

“Umm…” Ash glanced at Clemont, but the lemon-blond was too busy keeping Bonnie away from frolicking around. “I don’t know. I haven’t checked the leaders yet.”

“Then might I suggest that you challenge Grant in Cyllage City? He’s the newest Gym Leader to get flag status. He’s strong and it’ll be a good start before you go on to challenge the stronger ones.”

Ash grinned. “Then Cyllage City it is!” He punched the air.

“Pi Pikachu!” the yellow mouse chimed from his shoulder.

“Hold on, Ash,” Serena said. “Cyllage City is on the other side of the region and a long way from here. Besides…” she lowered her head uneasily.

Ash’s eyes widened. “Your showcase! Of course! It’s in a week, isn’t it?”

“Yes.” A thin smile formed on Serena’s lips. “In Aquacorde Town.”

“Then Aquacorde Town it is!” Ash punched the air again. “Now let’s step on it, you guys, or we’ll miss even the leftover food at the Centre,” he said, and then took off in the Pokémon Centre’s direction. “Bye, Alexa. Bye, Viola!” he yelled from a distance, waving a hand.

“Take care, Ash. All the best!” Viola yelled.

Serena and Bonnie looked at each other and grinned with a naughty glint in their eyes. They nodded.

“You heard him,” Serena said, clocking backwards, her hands crossed behind her.

“Don’t fall back.” Bonnie joined the honey-blonde’s back-walking.

Both shot a playful wink at Clemont and bounded ahead.

“Wait for me!” Clemont shouted, but the girls were too quick. “Thanks for everything, Viola and Alexa,” he hurried, and took off with his heavy bag, huffing and puffing.

As the four human figures diminished in size, Viola hunched her shoulders with a sigh. “Hope Ash beats Grant. I won’t hear the end of it if that asshole hears of my defeat.”

“Is that why you suggested him?” Alexa asked.

“Why else?” Viola raised a brow. “He’s the reason why I didn’t get my flag status. He beat me both times in the qualifying tournament,” she grunted. “Argh! I hate that son of a bitch.”

Alexa chuckled, petting her Helioptile around her neck. “Yet you’re engaged to him.”

Viola rolled her eyes. “That’s different.”

“Whatever you say.” Alexa crossed her arms. “But your battle with Ash was a good one. I haven’t seen you so fired up in so long.” She cocked her head. “And you used Froslass too.”

“I know right. There was something in him which made me go all out. I just wanted to beat him so badly.”

“But you still lost.”

“Did you even see the battle? Have you seen what that kid pulled off?”

“Yep, his bond with his Pokémon couldn’t have been stronger,” Alexa said.

“Mm-hmm. I haven’t seen that phenomenon in years, let alone from a teenager,” Viola said. “Grant has some heavy rock climbing to do if he wants to beat Ash. That kid’s special. You never know, he might even be the next prodigy.”

“I’m with you on that.”

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tell me this wasn’t one of the best battles you’ve read. Lol, perhaps not, but I tried to make it as different as I could. Hope you had fun reading as much as I had writing it. 
> 
> This is my first time writing a battle, so I’d love to hear what you’ll thought of it. Oh, yeah, that aura-bond thing, it won’t happen every time. I just thought to give you’ll a brief glimpse of how it’ll be, so I added that. It also made the battle much more interesting in a way. So, two birds with one stone.
> 
> Btw, stay home, stay safe, and stop watching movies and anime, and read some fucking books!
> 
> Any review is much appreciated. Thank you and have a nice day ahead.
> 
> “Gotta Bond 'em all”


End file.
